Peripheral Infiltration and Extravasation Injury Methodology: A Retrospective Study.
Brian Odom, Leah Lowe, Charlotte Yates
PMID 29958261WHAT IT FOUND
In 147 pediatric grade 3/4 IV infiltration cases managed by nursing, no patient needed surgery, had infection or developed compartment syndrome.
Five needed specialized wound care.
Key findings
01The 147 included cases were grade 3 or grade 4 peripheral infiltration injuries in children from birth to age 18 years.
02No patient required surgical intervention or infection, and no case developed compartment syndrome.
03Five patients required specialized wound care from physical therapy services or the burn service team.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a retrospective chart review, not a trial, so it cannot show that any treatment caused the reported outcomes. There was no comparison group, so the roles of catheter removal, limb elevation, warm or cold compresses, and hyaluronidase or phentolamine cannot be separated. Only grade 3 and grade 4 injuries were included, so the report says nothing about grade 1 or grade 2 infiltrations. The specialized wound care group was small, with 5 patients total and 3 treated by physical therapy, so the healing times are descriptive. One patient was not included in the healing-time average because the patient had been discharged and the assessment could not be completed. Time to granulation tissue was listed as an outcome, but the report does not give granulation times. All cases came from one pediatric hospital, so applicability to other settings is not established.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that removing the catheter, elevating the limb, applying warm or cold compresses, or giving hyaluronidase or phentolamine prevented surgery, infection or compartment syndrome. This was a retrospective case series with no comparison group, and several treatments were given together.