Incidence and Predictors of Peripheral Venous Catheter-Related Complications in Hospitals in Burkina Faso

Introduction: Peripheral venous catheters (PVCs) are the most commonly used medical devices in hospitals for the administration of medications. Their use can lead to complications of varying severity. Objective: Determine the incidence and factors associated with the occurrence of PVC-related complications. Methods: This was a two-month prospective observational study conducted in the Medical Emergency Department (MED) of Yalgado Ouedraogo Teaching Hospital in Ouagadougou. All patients admitted during the study period who had a PVC inserted and removed were included in the study. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with the occurrence of complications. Results: In total, 459 PVCs were inserted and removed in 415 patients hospitalized at the Medical Emergency Department during the study period. The placement of 37.7% (n = 173) of PVCs resulted in complications in 131 patients (31.6%). For 644.3 days of catheterization, the incidence density was estimated at 6.5 complications per 1000 patient days. Phlebitis (24.0%), infection (5.7%), and accidental removal (2.8%) were the most frequently identified complications. The average age of the patients was 46.8 ± 18.9 years with a sex ratio of 1.22. The average patient hospitalization duration was 2.5 ± 2.6 days. In multivariate analysis, the factors significantly associated with the occurrence of complications after PVC insertion were patient’s state of agitation during the procedure (aOR = 12.59;95% CI = 4.12 - 38.49), placement of the PVC at the elbow bend (aOR = 2.17;95% CI = 1.86 - 5.52), multiple attempts (aOR = 3.18;95% CI = 1.49 - 6.75), administration of 10% hypertonic glucose solution (aOR = 3.67;95% CI = 1.62 - 8.33), and duration of catheterization beyond 72 hours without being changed (aOR = 33.00;95% CI = 14.19 - 76.75). Conclusion: The incidence of PVC-related complications was relatively high. The identification of the factors that can lead to these complications is relevant to the delivery of quality healthcare to patients.

Reducing the Prevalence of Catheter-Related Infections by Quality Improvement: Six-Year Follow-Up Study

Background: Peripheral venous catheter (PVC) insertion is a crucial nursing action during life support. Several factors that increase the risk of thrombophlebitis associated with PVCs have been reported. Objective: We wish to evaluate the impact of a quality improvement regarding PVC treatment for patients with coronary heart diseases. Method: A longitudinal, quantitative observational study was carried out in 2008 and 2013 in a hospital in southern Sweden with 360 consecutive patients suffering from acute chest pain. New routines for PVC treatment were included in the hospital with daily inspection according to a checklist. A structured observation protocol was used to survey the prevalence of thrombophlebitis between 2008 and 2013. Also, we examined the relationship between the location and luminal diameters of PVCs. Results: The student’s t-test showed significant differences between 2008 and 2013 with respect to luminal diameter of PVCs (p = 0.002), prevalence of thrombophlebitis (p = 0.003) and number of days with PVC left in situ (p < 0.001). Conclusion: These findings emphasize the value of using systematic daily inspections and checklists to achieve quality and safety in patients with acute chest pain having PVC-based treatment.