Phlebitis incidence associated to peripherally inserted central catheters in adults ICU: implementation of a nursing protocol

Resumen:
Phlebitis incidence related to peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs): New nursing protocol application. Phlebitis is one of the most common complications of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs). The scientific evidence about the utility of measuring scales to phlebitis diagnosis is very limited. Objectives: To compare phlebitis incidence rate before and after the introduction of a new protocol. Materials and Methods: Retrospective cohort study in 159 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for two years. First we assess phlebitis in 59 patients (group 1). After that we apply a new protocol to identify phlebitis with visual score and continuous evaluation to 100 patients (group 2) Results: The probability of being diagnosed of phlebitis is significantly smaller in intervention group (OR: 0.09; 95% C.I.: 0.02-0.57).Conclusions: Protocol application reduced the diagnosis of phlebitis in 90%