Drug Discov Ther. 2022;16(3):128-134. (DOI: 10.5582/ddt.2022.01034)

Safety verification of a new peripheral intravenous catheter placed in the upper arm vein for administration of drugs with high irritant potential

Murayama R, Oyama H, Abe-Doi M, Masamoto Y, Kashiwabara K, Tobe H, Komiyama C, Sanada H, Kurokawa M

Despite the widespread use of peripheral intravenous catheters, unscheduled catheter failure before completion of treatment occurs frequently. If a large vein is selected, catheter failures may be prevented despite administering a highly irritant drug. In this study, we attempted to use a catheter that can be placed in a large upper arm vein. The new catheter was 88 mm long but had no guidewire to reduce contamination risk. This study aimed to evaluate the safety of the first-in-human trial for the new catheter with the administration of highly irritant drugs. This study was conducted at a university hospital in Tokyo, Japan. Eight Japanese adults were hospitalized adults with planned administration of non-cancer drugs with high irritant potential using a peripheral catheter. A trained nurse catheterized with the new catheter in the upper arm using ultrasonography. The catheterization site was monitored by staff and a research nurse once every 24 hours for up to 7 days. No adverse events or catheter failure occurred and the catheter placement success rate was 100%. In two patients, a temporary occlusion alarm of the infusion pump occurred, possibly due to the flexion of the catheter base. The new peripheral intravenous catheter did not interrupt medical treatments as is common after placement, but safety administered the irritant drugs. However, because this catheter may be easily affected by the contraction of the muscle at the fixation position, the position and method of catheter fixation in the upper arm need to be carefully considered.

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