Study of clinically-indicated replacement of peripheral intravenous catheters in old adults

Objective To evaluate the safety of clinically-indicated replacement of peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) in old adults. Methods Total of 1 627 patients with peripheral intravenous catheters in emergency wards at a tertiary hospital in shanghai were recruited. Patients were randomly divided into an experimental group (817 cases) and control group (810 cases) by random digits tale method. PIVCs in the experiment were replaced only when clinical indications appeared, while PIVCs in the control group were routinely changed every 72-96 hours. Indwelling time, complications associated with PIVCs and nurse compliance were compared after indwelling peripheral intravenous catheters. Results PIVC indwelling time was (3.43±1.36) days in the experimental group, and (3.18±1.16) days in the control group ,there was significant difference between two groups (t value was 4.07, P 0.05). The severity of phlebitis in the experiment group was higher than that in the control group, and there was significant difference between two groups (χ2 value was 20.99, P<0.05). Nurse compliance achieved in the experimental group 100.00% (817/817) was higher than that in the control group 87.65% (710/810), which showed statistically difference (χ2 value was 107.47, P<0.05). Conclusion Indwelling time in the clinically- indicated replacement group was longer than that of the routine replacement group. Peripheral intravenous catheters in old adults can be remove as clinically-indicated with a close monitoring of complications. Key words: Aged; Peripheral intravenous catheters; Clinically- indicated replacement