Effectiveness of Transillumination Device on Reducing Peripheral Intravenous Catheter Placement Complications in Pediatric Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC) placement is a routine procedure in pediatric care that is associated with significant complications. PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to determine whether the use of a transillumination device during PIVC placement can help reduce the complications associated with PIVC placement in children. METHODS: This randomized controlled study was conducted on a sample of children aged 5-18 years who were followed up in a pediatric surgery ward. Children requiring PIVC lines who were deemed to have difficult intravenous access with a difficult intravenous access score >4 were randomized into either the intervention group, which used a transillumination device, or the standard care group, which received standard assistance with PIVC line placement. The three main outcomes assessed in this preliminary study were: time to successful PIVC placement, pain on a numerical rating scale of 1 to 10, and number of PIVC placement complications (i.e., infiltration, extravasation, or obstruction). Descriptive and correlational statistical analyses were employed. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-nine children were recruited and enrolled as participants in this study. The preliminary results showed time to successful PIVC placement in the intervention group reduced from 94 s to 71 s (p<.01), pain reduced from 4.81 to 3.39 (p<.01), and number of complications reduced from 18 s to 8 s (p<.05). The use of Veinlite in vascular access imaging in the intervention group achieved a 2-fold reduction in intravenous complications (odds ratio [OR]=2.373, 95% CI [0.95, 5.90], p=.04). CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The findings of this study suggest that the use of transillumination devices has the potential to reduce the total number of PIVC-related complications, reduce perceived pain levels, and reduce the procedural time required for intravenous access. Transillumination devices may be safely used to reduce the pain associated with PIVC in children.