Summary of product trials for 10, 164 patients: comparing an intravenous stabilizing device to tape

Inadequate catheter securement is an underrecognized patient safety issue that contributes significantly to catheter-related complications, including dislodgment, occlusion, infiltration, and infection. Pooled data from prospective product trials at 83 hospitals compared tape to a standard peripheral intravenous (PIV) securement method with a PIV-specific catheter-stabilizing device (StatLock). A 67% reduction (P<.001) in total patient complications was observed in the stabilizing device group, as compared with the tape group. Also, the need for unscheduled PIV restarts was reduced by 76% with the stabilizing device (P<.001). An annual cost savings of $18,000 per hospital on PIV materials and a combined savings of $277,000 on materials, complication costs, and nursing time were estimated on the basis of these reduced complications. Newer catheter-stabilizing technologies can help to reduce patient complications, for an overall cost savings, and consequently reduce needlestick exposures for healthcare providers by reducing restarts and prolonging dwell times.