Post-insertion care of peripheral venous catheters (PVCs) in 100 patie
nts on general medical and surgical wards of a teaching hospital was a
udited. A variety of methods were used to attach the PVC to the patien
ts' skin including 'Vecafix' dressings, bandages and adhesive tape. Si
xty-eight PVC were incorrectly attached, and of these 49 (71%) were as
sociated with two or more symptoms or signs of inflammation at the ins
ertion site. Of those PVC that were correctly attached only five out o
f 32 (16%) were associated with inflammation. There was a significant
association between incorrect dressing application and inflammation (P
< 0.01). Similarly, there was a direct relationship between inflammat
ion and PVCs that had been in Situ for greater than 48 h (P < 0.01). T
he results suggest that a significant reduction in the incidence of in
flammation associated with PVC use may be achieved by correct applicat
ion of dressings and replacing the catheters after 48 h in situ.