Factors Related To The Incidence Of Cancer Chemotherapeutic Agent Extravasation

Introduction: The objective of this study is to analyze factors such as vein conditions, type of medication/ chemotherapeutic agent, volume of chemotherapeutic agent and their relationship with chemotherapy drug extravasation incidences.  Method: This study uses cross sectional observational analytic design with purposive sampling. The sample of this study is 70 cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in hospitals. Inclusive criteria include patients ages 18-65 in their first to fifth cycle of chemotherapy. The instrument used is observation form and the hospital's standard operational procedures for administering chemotherapy drugs.  Results: The study shows that there are no relationship between vein condition, type of medication/ chemotherapeutic agent and volume of chemotherapeutic agent with extravasation. Most veins were still in good condition while undergoing chemotherapy. The length of time for administering chemotherapy were mostly <24 hours, which contributed to the reduced risk for extravasation even though the type of medication used were irritants and vesicants, with drug volume of 100 – 1000mL. The incidence of extravasation that were immediately observed during chemotherapy occurred 7.14% of the time, possibly due to the use of infusion pump that helped nurses in anticipating leakage outside the veins early on.  Conclusion: Vein conditions, duration of chemotherapy drug exposure, type and volume of medication given were not related statistically. However the occurrence of extravasation explained that there are other contributing factors that have yet to be studied.  Keywords : extravasation, cancer chemotherapeutic agent