THE INFLUENCE OF TAPE TYPE AND OF SKIN PREPARATION ON THE FORCE REQUIRED TO DISLODGE ANGIOCATHETERS

The, study evaluated the effects of different techniques used to secur e intravenous (iv) catheters. An angiocatheter attached to standard iv tubing was taped to human forearm using a standard taping method. A c alibrated piezoelectric force transducer was attached to the iv tubing . The force applied along the longitudinal axis to pull out the taped catheter was, measured and recorded on paper. Three tape types, Curity , Leukopor and Transpore, were evaluated alone, with benzoin skin pret reatment and with mastisol pretreatment. A randomized 3 X 3 block desi gn with 20 replications per block was utilized, and a total of 180 pul lout tests were performed on two adult volunteers. Without pretreatmen t, the forces required to dislodge catheters were (means F SEM) 46 +/- 2, 37 +/- 2 and 38 +/- 2 Newtons for Curity, Leukopor and Transpore t ape, respectively. Corresponding values for mastisol pretreatment (64 +/- 1, 64 +/- 3 and 52 +/- 3 Newtons) were greater (P < 0.05) for each tape compared with benzoin (54 +/- 3, 53 +/- 2 and 40 +/- 2 Newtons) and no pretreatment. The most frequent failure mode for Transpore tape was by tape fracture, for Curity tape was by separation from the skin of tape and catheter as a single unit, and for Leukopor taps was by c atheter separation while tape remained attached to skin (P < 0.001). T he data suggest that the application of mastisol prior to taping iv, c atheters with Curity or Leukopor tape helps to minimize the risk of ac cidental dislodgement.