Normal saline flushes performed once daily maintain peripheral intravenous catheter patency: a randomised controlled trial

Abstract

The study is registered in the international database ClinicalTrial.gov under registration number NCT02221024.

Flushing of peripheral intravenous catheters: A pilot, factorial, randomised controlled trial of high versus low frequency and volume in paediatrics

“…Schreiber et al studied 400 children and found no significant difference in PIVC failure between different flushing frequencies (12 vs. 24 h). Differences between that study and our study were that flushes in Schreiber et al ' study were delivered using prefilled syringes (ours were manual), and apart from flushes, their patients did not receive intravenous therapy following enrolment .…”

“…Schreiber et al studied 400 children and found no significant difference in PIVC failure between different flushing frequencies (12 vs. 24 h). Differences between that study and our study were that flushes in Schreiber et al ' study were delivered using prefilled syringes (ours were manual), and apart from flushes, their patients did not receive intravenous therapy following enrolment . The results of our study contextualise the use of intermittent flushing in the paediatric clinical setting where medications other than normotonic sodium chloride are infused with the potential to provide various degrees of venous irritation, depending on the chemical make up of the medication that could contribute to PIVC failure.…”

“…3 mL or 5 mL instead 10 mL) in the low volume group, which would have increased flush injection pressure on the vein wall. However, our unadjusted analysis did not control for baseline imbalances or other contributing factors such as medication administration (drug type) or flushing injection pressure due to syringe size selection and cannot be seen as definitive …”

“…The limited evidence available suggests that equipoise exists between these two techniques. Both methods are used variably and inconsistently in clinical practice …”

“…Strategies to reduce PIVC failure include different flushing regimens, but these are used inconsistently, if at all . To date, only one small trial of different flushing regimens and a systematic review of studies evaluating intermittent flush versus slow continuous infusion have been published. This literature indicates that daily flushing is as safe and effective as twice a day.…”