Infiltration during intravenous therapy in neonates: comparison of Teflon and Vialon catheters

Infiltration is a frequent complication of intravenous therapy using peripheral venous lines in neonatal patients. In a randomized trial of two catheter materials, Vialon (Becton Dickinson) and Teflon (DuPont), we studied 19 putative risk factors for infiltration, including 11 infusates, in 772 peripheral venous lines in patients aged 1 to 67 days. The best-fit Cox regression model identified six significant predictors of infiltration (P less than .05): catheter material, age, anatomic insertion site, hyperalimentation, and use of furosemide and dopamine. For the subsample of patients weighing less than or equal to 1500 g, a second Cox regression model identified time spent inserting the catheter and the number of insertion attempts as additional significant predictors. These multivariate models showed that Vialon catheter material reduced the risk of infiltration by 18% (95% CI, 1% to 32% reduction) in the total sample and by 35% (95% CI, 15% to 50% reduction) in the higher risk low-weight (less than or equal to 1500 g) subsample.