Over a quarter of peripheral intravenous catheters placed in dogs and cats result in complications, study shows

22 November 2024

New research has shed light on the occurrence and risk factors associated with complications of peripheral intravenous catheter use in UK small animal veterinary practice.

Although peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVC) are used daily in veterinary practice to administer a range of treatments, they are linked with numerous complications which can compromise patient welfare and increase the cost of care.

A new study, led by researchers at the Royal Veterinary College and undertaken by a team of veterinary nurses and vets across the country, is published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice. The study described 325 dogs and 57 cats that had a PIVC placed across 19 veterinary institutes.

Complications occurred in 26.7% of PIVC placements, with limb swelling/suspected phlebitis and PIVC dislodgement being the most common. Factors that increased the risk of PIVC complications were more than one attempt to place the PIVC, being a second or subsequent PIVC placed, flushing at irregular time intervals, and flushing with compound sodium lactate. The study also found that hand hygiene wasn’t performed before placing a PIVC in one-third of cases.

These findings highlight the importance of hand hygiene before PIVC placement, in addition to adequate skin preparation with a minimum 2% chlorhexidine. It also emphasises the need for the veterinary team to be vigilant when monitoring a patient with a PIVC, especially those with any risk factors that may heighten the complication risk.

Dr Chris Scudder, corresponding author of the study, commented: “It was fantastic to be part of a motivated team who wanted to improve our understanding about PIVC complications. Our ambition is to ultimately decrease the adverse consequences of PIVC use in small animal practice, which in turn will hopefully improve the welfare of the pets we look after and reduce the prescription of antibiotics to manage catheter-related infections.”

You can access the full study at: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ /10.1111/jsap.13782.