RESUMEN
Background: Patients with difficult peripheral intravenous (IV) access are common in emergency departments (EDs). Ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous catheters (USIVs) are frequently used in this population; however, information regarding the effect of patient and IV characteristics on the dwell time (DT) and survival probability (SP) of USIVs is limited. Objective: Our study aimed to evaluate for associations between patient or IV characteristics and the DT and SP of USIVs. Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on a database from an ED nurse (RN) USIV training program at an urban, academic hospital. Patients over 18 years with an USIV placed during the study period were included. Subject demographics, history, IV characteristics, insertion, and removal times were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and univariable and multivariable Cox regression. USIV survival times for variates of interest were estimated using Kaplan-Meier curves for three censoring points. Results: The final analysis cohort was 388 patients. Mean age was 56.6 years, 66.5% were female, mean BMI was 29.9 kg/m2, and 42.5% were obese (BMI ≥30). Median DT was 40.3 hours in admitted patients (N=340). SP for USIVs at 96 hours was 87.8%. A total of 21 of 340 (6.2%) USIVs failed. USIV location conferred a difference on DT in obese patients when dichotomized into upper arm versus antecubital fossa and forearm together (38.6 hours vs 44.6 hours, p=0.03). No factors were associated with a difference in USIV SP. Conclusion: Median USIV DT of 40.3 hours for admitted patients was higher than in previous studies. Only 7% of USIVs in our study failed. Overall, catheters survived longer than expected.
RESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Vascular access procedures are among the most commonly performed procedures in the emergency department. The objective of the current study was to compare the contrast extravasation rate for ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous (USGPIV) catheter placement by emergency nurses with peripheral intravenous catheters placed by standard landmark techniques. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of all ED patients at our urban tertiary-care institution who underwent contrasted computed tomography examination and suffered contrast extravasation events was performed. A logbook of all ED patients who underwent USGPIV placement and an institution-wide electronic patient safety incident-reporting system was reviewed for all contrast extravasation events between May 2014, and February 2017. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Student t-tests for continuous data, and χ2 or Fisher's exact test for categorical data. RESULTS: One thousand five hundred USGPIV catheters were placed by 27 emergency nurses. Contrast material was administered 29,508 times, and, of these, 291 were administered via USGPIV placement. There were 74 peripheral IV lines with documented contrast extravasations (0.25%) as reported in the safety-event database; 12 (4.1%) were from the USGPIV population, and 62 (0.21%) occurred in the standard landmark technique population. Relative risk of contrast extravasation events with USGPIV placement was 19.4 (95% confidence interval [CI], 10.6-35.6), and the absolute risk difference was 3.9% (95% CI 1.6%-6.2%). DISCUSSION: USGPIV placement by trained emergency nurses has higher rates of contrast extravasation than with standard landmark technique placement.
