[Comparison of the penetration of various short venous catheters]

Two methods used to measure the degree of the forces involved, in an experimental model--a polyethylene film stretched over a drum, during the penetration of different short venous catheters were compared. One involved strain gauge force sensors, whilst the other used simple and easy to use equipment. The forces necessary for the penetration of introducer needles are on the one hand relatively slight and secondly quite close to each other. By contrast, there are wide differences between the degree of force necessary to obtain penetration of the catheter itself. These forces are in general less for teflon catheters than for those made of polypropylene. The degree does not appear to be related to the size. It remains to attempt to establish a correlation between ease of penetration and tolerance.