Association between multiple IV attempts and perceived pain levels in the emergency department.

PURPOSE: Intravenous (IV) access is the most commonly performed procedure in the emergency department (ED). Patients with difficult venous access require multiple needlesticks (MNS) for successful IV cannulation and may experience increased pain with many attempts. OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between number of IV attempts and overall pain experienced by the patient from IV placement. METHODS: Cross-sectional observational study on consecutive patients undergoing IV placement with a 20-gauge IV in the upper extremity in an urban academic hospital. Exclusion criteria included refusal to participate or fully complete all survey questions. The total number of IV attempts and patient pain scores marked on a standardized visual analog scale was recorded. Mean pain scores of two groups, single needlestick (SNS) and MNS, were compared using Student's t-test. RESULTS: A total of 760 patients were approached, of whom 31 were excluded, leaving 729 patients in the analysis; 556 with SNS (76%) and 173 with MNS (24%). The mean pain score (95% CI) was 51 mm (46-55 mm) for the MNS group and 25 mm (23-28 mm) for the SNS group, p<0.001. Compared to patients who underwent one IV attempt, patients with two and three attempts had an average 19 mm and 33 mm increase in pain scores, respectively, with the highest average pain associated with five attempts. A total of 58% of MNS patients rated IV placement as the most painful experience while in the ED. CONCLUSIONS: Patients experience increased pain in association with multiple IV attempts.

Risk factors associated with difficult venous access in adult ED patients.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to determine risk factors associated with difficult venous access (DVA) in the emergency department (ED). METHODS: This was a prospective, observational study conducted in the ED of an urban tertiary care hospital. Adult patients undergoing intravenous (IV) placement were consecutively enrolled during periods of block enrollment. The primary outcome was DVA, defined as 3 or more IV attempts or use of a method of rescue vascular access to establish IV access. Univariate and multivariate analyses for factors predicting DVA were performed using logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 743 patients were enrolled, of which 88 (11.8%) met the criteria for DVA. In the adjusted analysis, only 3 medical conditions were significantly associated with DVA: diabetes (odds ratio [OR] 1.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-2.8), sickle cell disease (OR 3.8, 95% CI 1.5-9.5), and history of IV drug abuse (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.1-5.7). Notably, age, body mass index, and dialysis were not. Of patients who reported a history of requiring multiple IV attempts in the past for IV access, 14% met criteria for DVA on this visit (OR 7.7 95% CI 3-18). Of the patients who reported a history of IV insertion into the external jugular, ultrasound-guided IV placement, or a central venous catheter for IV access, 26% had DVA on this visit (OR 16.7, 95% CI 6.8-41). CONCLUSIONS: Nearly 1 of every 9 to 10 adults in an urban ED had DVA. Diabetes, IV drug abuse, and sickle cell disease were found to be significantly associated with DVA.

Impact of ED management on hospital quality measures: the negative case of atrial fibrillation.

OBJECTIVE: Emergency department (ED) cardioversion and discharge of atrial fibrillation (AF) is an evolving treatment. Emergency department cardioversion patients have few comorbidities, and their discharge directly from the ED leads to a sicker in-patient population of AF patients. This study examines whether the quality care markers, hospital charges (HC) and length of stay (LOS), negatively reflect the practice of ED cardioversion. METHODS: Median HC and LOS were determined for 2 different quality assessment reporting models. In a standard model (SM), patients discharged from the ED were not included in any hospital statistics and only admitted, or observation patients were used to calculate the HC and LOS of AF patients. In an inclusive model (IM), patients discharged from the ED were also included in the hospital statistics but given the same LOS as observation patients. Differences across medians were analyzed using Wilcoxon rank sum tests. RESULTS: A total of 312 patients were evaluated for AF over an 18-month period. Of these, 197 (62%) were admitted, 21 (7%) were placed in observation status, and 95 (31%) were discharged from the ED. Median values for LOS were 3 days (interquartile range [IQR], 1-5) for the SM and 1 day (IQR, 0-4) for the IM. Median values for HC were $33062 (IQR, $19267-$60614) for the SM and $20059 (IQR, $4249-$47195) for the IM. CONCLUSION: Emergency department cardioversion selects out a less sick cohort of patients whose removal from a hospital's admission numbers negatively skews quality performance profiles.