ABSTRACT
Intravascular cannulae are among the most commonly used devices in the delivery of modern healthcare. It has been estimated that 150 million intravascular devices are purchased by hospitals and clinics each year in the United States (1). The overwhelming majority of these cannulae are peripheral venous catheters (PVC) and needles. Approximately 25 million patients per year in the United States receive infusion therapy through peripheral intravenous cannulae (2). Phlebitis or inflammation at the site of vessel cannulation commonly occurs, ranging from 15 to 70% in adults (2-6), and 10 to 13% in children (7,8). However, the great majority of instances of phlebitis are aseptic (not related to infection), and the phenomenon appears most closely related to the physicochemical characteristics of the materials from which catheters are constructed and the type of infusate administered through the catheters (2-8). Few PVCs removed from patients with phlebitis are found to be colonized on semiquantitative culture (2,4,7,9-12).
