Examining Effectiveness of Peripheral Intravenous Dwell Times Greater than Seventy-Two hours in Adult Patients in a Community Setting: A Systematic Review

Objective To conduct a systematic review to synthesize the best available evidence on dwell times of 72 and 96 hours for peripheral vascular access devices (PVADs) for adult clients in a community setting, considering outcome variables of phlebitis , obstruction of the catheter and catheter related infection. Types of participants This review will consider studies that evaluate the dwell time for PVADs in the adult population ( 18 years and older ) at 72 and / or 96 hours. Studies using immunocompromised patients as subjects will not be included due to the increased risk for infection and complication with this client population. Types of interventions Studies will be included if they evaluate the effect of PVAD dwell time of 72 and/or 96 hours on client outcomes in the community setting.The use of midline or extended dwell PVAD's will not be considered.This review will focus only on the short peripheral intravenous catheter. Any studies that evaluate the dwell time of PVAD's for Total Parental Nutrition will not be included as this is an intervention not performed in the community setting. Types of Outcome measures Outcomes of interest include: phlebitis , catheter occlusion, and infection