Survival of neonatal intravenous infusion sites

Abstract

Abstract A survey was performed on the survival of 446 peripheral intravenous infusion sites in 82 babies in a neonatal intensive care unit. Median survival was 31 hours. Factors identified by multivariate survival analysis as significantly decreasing site survival were faster infusion rates, total parenteral nutrition rather than dextrose, decreased gestational age, and co-infusion of phosphate, ceftazidime and metronidazole. Pancuronium, aminophylline and, possibly, saline and ampicillin increased survival. These data indicate that, while neonatal infusions fail more rapidly than infusions in adults, there appear to be relatively few factors that have marked effects of the rate of failure.