The Hidden Burden of PIVC Complications in Surgical Patients
Posted
on 10 November 2026
 "The Hidden Burden of PIVC Complications in Surgical Patients")
| Study Overview Peripheral intravenous catheters are routinely used during surgery and hospital recovery, but complications can increase the burden of care well beyond the catheter itself. This large US real-world data analysis examined the prevalence and impact of PIVC-associated complications among hospitalised surgical patients. It included almost 7 million adults and more than 159,000 children treated between 2019 and 2023. Key Findings PIVC-associated complications were recorded in 0.7% of adults and 0.5% of paediatric patients. Although these rates appear low, they represented more than 52,000 patients across the study population. After adjusting for patient and hospital factors, adults with complications:
Paediatric patients with complications:
Bloodstream infection accounted for most of the recorded complications in both groups. Implications PIVC complications may be uncommon in percentage terms, but their impact is substantial when considered across the large number of catheters used in surgical care. The findings support stronger prevention, monitoring and reporting of PIVC complications, alongside consistent insertion and maintenance practices. Reducing these events could help shorten hospital stays, lower costs and reduce avoidable readmissions. As this was an observational analysis using administrative data, it identified associations rather than proving that PIVC complications directly caused every additional day or cost recorded. Read more:https://doi.org/10.36469/001c.156489 Authors: Rena Moon; Julie Gayle; Stephanie Pitts; Joy David; Kristin Jacobs; Ning Rosenthal |
