[Peripheral venous placement: evaluation of guidelines respect in prehospital setting]

Respect of guidelines for peripheral venous placement has never been studied in prehospital setting.

Describe prehospital practice in peripheral venous placement and perform comparison with guidelines.

Prospective study, in mobile intensive care unit from a university hospital, October 2002 to January 2003. Study of prehospital practice for peripheral venous placement in prehospital setting and comparison with guidelines. Guideline from Anaes: wearing a cap and a mask, washing hands, washing insertion site with water and soap, wearing sterile gloves, using sterile gauze, applying iodine solution to the insertion site, using catheter with a protective system and applying occlusive dressing.

Six hundred seventy-three reports were studied. A cap and a mask wearing and washing insertion site with water and soap were never respected. Washing hand with antiseptic was reported in 56% of the cases, washing insertion site with iodine solution in 4%, wearing sterile gloves in 21%, using catheter with a protective system in 89%, using sterile gauze in 1% and applying occlusive dressing in 99%. For each criterion, respect of guidelines was significantly more frequent in nurse practice than in physician practice.

Guidelines for peripheral venous placement were not respected in prehospital setting. Education and formation are necessary to optimize infectious risk prevention in prehospital care.