The effect of a pushing technique with normal saline on peripheral intravenous catheter placement success in paediatric haematology and oncology: A randomized controlled trial

Purpose: The aim of the present study is to determine the effect of the pushing technique with saline on the success of peripheral IV catheter placement in a paediatric haematology and oncology sample. Methods: The randomized controlled trial was conducted among 60 paediatric haematology and oncology patients aged between 0 and 17. The participants were randomly assigned to two peripheral intravenous catheter placement groups (intervention group, n:30, control group, n:30). Each patient was evaluated with the Difficult Intravenous Access (DIVA) score before being included in the study. Each patient was assessed using the Personal Information Form for Children and Catheter Registration Form. Results: The average age of the children was 86.4 months (SD = 60.0); 36.7% were female. The pushing technique with saline significantly increased the success of placing a peripheral IV catheter on the first attempt in the intervention group compared to the control group (F = 42.391, p = 0.000). The number of attempts during peripheral IV catheter placement significantly decreased in the intervention group compared with the control group (t =-5.676, p = 0.000). Complications were less in the intervention group compared with the control group (chi 2 = 24.438, p = 0.000). The procedure time was significantly shorter in the intervention group compared with the control group (t =-4.026, p = 0.000). Conclusion: The pushing technique with saline is an effective method to increase the first attempt success rate, decrease the number of attempts, reduce the procedure time, and reduce the complications during peripheral intravenous catheter placement procedures in paediatric haematology and oncology patients with difficult intravenous access. Trial Registration: This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05685290 & date of first recruitment: January 3, 2023) https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05685290.