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Taste and/or Odour Disturbances in Pediatric Patients Undergoing IV Flush with Normal Saline Administered by

Steven J Celetti1, Régis Vaillancourt, Elena Pascuet

  • 1, BSc(Pharm), is with the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, and the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario.

The Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy
|November 7, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric patients frequently experience taste and odor disturbances when flushing IV lines with prefilled normal saline (NS) syringes. This study found 73% of children reported these sensory changes, highlighting a common issue in pediatric care.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Medicine
  • Clinical Pharmacy
  • Patient Experience

Background:

  • Over 6000 pediatric inpatients annually receive IV saline flushes via prefilled syringes.
  • Adult studies suggest volatile substances can leach from syringe materials into saline, causing taste/odor issues.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the incidence of taste and/or odor disturbances in pediatric patients after IV tubing flushing with prefilled normal saline (NS) syringes.

Main Methods:

  • Interviewed 104 pediatric inpatients (aged 5-18) who received routine IV flushing with prefilled NS syringes.
  • Utilized a visual hedonic scale for younger children (5-10) and a numeric rating scale for older children (11-18).

Main Results:

  • 73% (76/104) of pediatric patients reported taste and/or odor disturbances.
  • Disturbances were reported by children in both age groups (5-10 and 11-18 years).
  • Most IV lines were peripheral (90%), and 100 patients received BD Posiflush NaCl syringes.

Conclusions:

  • Prefilled normal saline (NS) syringes are associated with taste and/or odor disturbances in pediatric patients.
  • This sensory alteration is a common occurrence in pediatric IV care settings.
Abstract

Keywords:
administration of IV saline flushprefilled syringestaste and odour disturbances

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