Intravenous therapy management: who will develop insertion site symptoms?
In this multisite study, symptoms at the intravenous (IV) insertion site and the relationship of patient and clinical data to these symptoms are described. It was found that approximately 40% of the subjects experienced at least one site symptom. The most common was pain. Presence of symptoms was associated with IV site duration, potassium chloride concentration, number of antibiotics, and solution osmolarity. Infusions started by anesthesiologists and sites with no dressings were least likely to be symptomatic.