Vancomycin Infusion Methods on Phlebitis Prevention in Children

BACKGROUND: Hospitalized children require antibiotic therapy. The most common side effect of intravenous injections is Phlebitis. Due to high usage of Vancomycin in children and subsequent phlebitis in their intravenous lines, the current study aimed at comparing the effects of two intervention and routine vancomycin infusion methods in preventing phlebitis in hospitalized children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The current study is a quasi-experimental study investigating 74 individuals between ages of 1 month and 6 years undergoing treatment using vancomycin. First, 37 children, hospitalized in internal medicine ward of Isfahan Paediatrics' Hospital, Iran with vancomycin infusion orders, were placed in control group, and another 37 children were placed in the intervention group through matching with control group. The intervention group used phlebitis prevention guidelines, created by the authors, while control group used routine infusion method of the hospital. Data were analyzed by SPSS software, and statistical significance was set at 5%. RESULTS: The occurrence of phlebitis was 45.90% in intervention and 89.10% in control group. Results showed that the frequency of phlebitis in intervention group was significantly lower than control group (χ(2)= 15.79, df = 1, p < 0.001) and the average time of phlebitis onset in control group was also significantly lower than that of the intervention group (t(72)= 2.99, p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: According to the results, intervention vancomycin infusion method is more effective in reducing phlebitis as a result of intravenous catheter, compared to the routine vancomycin infusion method.