Does Your Patient Really Need That Peripheral IV “Just in Case”?

Peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) are nearly universal in hospitalized patients and often are maintained long after IV therapy ends. The authors of this review, from the Journal of Hospital Medicine’s series, “Things We Do for No Reason,” make a compelling argument to remove idle PIVCs.

About one quarter of PIVCs placed in hospitalized patients sit idle, used neither for active treatment nor imminent clinical needs. Although PIVCs seem benign compared with Foley catheters or central lines, they are not risk-free. Unnecessary PIVCs contribute to patient discomfort, unnecessary monitoring, phlebitis, and, most importantly, bloodstream infections. PIVCs are so common that they account for more than one third of Staphylococcus aure…