Common Complications Related to Peripheral Intravenous Cannulation (PIVC)

Abstract

Peripheral Intravenous Cannulation (PIVC) is the insertion of a short, flexible, hollow plastic catheter into a peripheral vein. Indications of PIVC include facilitating hydration, maintaining electrolyte balance, administration of medication, supporting diagnostic procedures in acute and emergencies, infusion of blood and blood components, and parenteral nutrition. PIVC is associated with risks for several complications. The skin, one of the defence organs of the body is penetrated during the insertion of vascular access that results in additional potential risk for PIVC related complications include local and systemic complications. The PIVC induced complications cause significant discomfort, prolonged hospitalization, higher costs, and leads to other illnesses. This review was done to find out the common peripheral intravenous cannulation (PIVC) related complications. For this review, scholarly articles and guidelines published from 2008 to 2020 were obtained by searching MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Pub Med databases. It was found that the incidence of PIVC related complications were significantly high. Phlebitis, pain, infiltration, occlusion and dislodgement were local complications related to PIVC while phlebitis was the most common complication among them. Fear and anxiety were found as systemic complications of PIVC. The rates of PIVC-induced local complications is higher than PIVC-induced systemic complications. However, nurses must be responsible to apply correct techniques and follow the standard guidelines of PIVC. It is also recommended that the nurses must perform careful observations of patients with peripheral intravenous catheters to identify risks of PIVC induced complications and take necessary actions to prevent them.