Peripheral Intravenous Therapy in Internal Medicine Department-Antibiotics and Other Drugs' Consumption and Characteristics of Vascular Access Devices in 2-Year Observation Study

doi:10.3390/antibiotics13070664

. 2024 Jul 18;13(7):664.

doi: 10.3390/antibiotics13070664.

Peripheral Intravenous Therapy in Internal Medicine Department-Antibiotics and Other Drugs' Consumption and Characteristics of Vascular Access Devices in 2-Year Observation Study

Piotr Piekiełko^{1

2}, Anna Mucha³, Ewa Stawowczyk⁴, Jadwiga Wójkowska-Mach⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Diseases and Circulatory Failure, Center of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery in Bystra, Juliana Fałata 2 Street, 43-360 Bystra, Poland.
² Department of Pulmonology and Respiratory Failure, Center of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery in Bystra, Juliana Fałata 2 Street, 43-360 Bystra, Poland.
³ Department of Pulmonology and Oncology with Chemotherapy, Center of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery in Bystra, Juliana Fałata 2 Street, 43-360 Bystra, Poland.
⁴ Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Czysta 18 Street, 31-121 Krakow, Poland.

PMID: 39061346
PMCID: PMC11274068
DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13070664

Peripheral Intravenous Therapy in Internal Medicine Department-Antibiotics and Other Drugs' Consumption and Characteristics of Vascular Access Devices in 2-Year Observation Study

Piotr Piekiełko et al. Antibiotics (Basel). 2024.

. 2024 Jul 18;13(7):664.

doi: 10.3390/antibiotics13070664.

Authors

Piotr Piekiełko^{1

2}, Anna Mucha³, Ewa Stawowczyk⁴, Jadwiga Wójkowska-Mach⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Diseases and Circulatory Failure, Center of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery in Bystra, Juliana Fałata 2 Street, 43-360 Bystra, Poland.
² Department of Pulmonology and Respiratory Failure, Center of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery in Bystra, Juliana Fałata 2 Street, 43-360 Bystra, Poland.
³ Department of Pulmonology and Oncology with Chemotherapy, Center of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery in Bystra, Juliana Fałata 2 Street, 43-360 Bystra, Poland.
⁴ Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Czysta 18 Street, 31-121 Krakow, Poland.

PMID: 39061346
PMCID: PMC11274068
DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13070664

Abstract

Background: The aim of the study was to characterize the procedure of peripheral intravenous therapy (IT), including the characteristics of vascular access and related complications and qualitative and quantitative analyses of drug consumption.

Materials and methods: A two-year, retrospective, single-center observational study was conducted. The criterion for including a patient in the study was the use of peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) upon admission or during the stay at the internal medicine department (IMD).

Results: The main reasons for hospitalization were exacerbations of chronic diseases for 78% of the patients and acute infections for 22%. IT was used in 83.6% of all the patients. IT was used primarily for antibiotics (5009.9 defined daily doses (DDD)). Further, 22.6% of the PIVCs stopped functioning within 24 h, more frequently in infectious patients. The main reasons for PIVC removal were leakage (n = 880, 26.6%) and occlusion (n = 578, 17.5%). The PIVC locations were mostly suboptimal (n = 2010, 59.5%), and such locations were related to leakage and occlusion (p = 0.017).

Conclusions: In the IMD, most patients require the use of a PIVC, and antibiotics dominate the group of drugs administered intravenously. Up to 1/5 of peripheral intravenous catheters are lost within the first 24 h after their insertion, with most of them placed suboptimally. A properly functioning PIVC appears to be crucial for antimicrobial treatment.

Keywords: antibiotic treatment; geriatric patients; internal medicine; intravenous therapy; peripheral intravenous catheter; vascular access device.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

**Figure 1**
The occurrence of peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) functioning <24 h [%] depending on the reason for hospitalization (p < 0.001).

**Figure 2**
The main reasons for peripheral intravenous catheters removal [n, %].

**Figure 3**
Comparison of total intravenous and oral route of antibiotics consumption in years 2021–2022 [%].

See this image and copyright information in PMC

Cited by

Empiric and targeted antibiotic therapy for bloodstream infections in internal medicine patients in Poland: a three-year analysis in a single centre using the AWaRe classification.
Piekiełko P, Hareza DA, Stawowczyk E, Jachowicz-Matczak E, Wójkowska-Mach J. Piekiełko P, et al. Pharmacol Rep. 2025 Aug;77(4):1100-1108. doi: 10.1007/s43440-025-00753-2. Epub 2025 Jun 19. Pharmacol Rep. 2025. PMID: 40536709 Free PMC article.

References

1. Waitt C., Waitt P., Pirmohamed M. Intravenous therapy. Postgrad. Med. J. 2004;80:1–6. doi: 10.1136/pmj.2003.010421. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Regina M.L., Vecchié A., Bonaventura A., Prisco D. Patient Safety in Internal Medicine. In: Donaldson L., Ricciardi W., Sheridan S., Tartaglia R., editors. Textbook of Patient Safety and Clinical Risk Management. Springer; Cham, Switzerland: 2020. pp. 213–252. - PubMed
1. Niederman M.S., Baron R.M., Bouadma L., Calandra T., Daneman N., DeWaele J., Kollef M.H., Lipman J., Nair G.B. Initial antimicrobial management of sepsis. Crit. Care. 2021;25:307. doi: 10.1186/s13054-021-03736-w. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Pittiruti M., Van Boxtel T., Scoppettuolo G., Carr P., Konstantinou E., Ortiz Miluy G., Simcock L., Dupont C., Inwood S., Pepe G., et al. European recommendations on the proper indication and use of peripheral venous access devices: A WoCoVA project. J. Vasc. Access. 2023;24:165–182. doi: 10.1177/11297298211023274. - DOI - PubMed
1. Xu H.G., Ullman A.J., Rickard C.M., Johnston A. Factors impacting emergency department clinicians’ peripheral intravenous catheter practice: A qualitative analysis. Int. Emerg. Nurs. 2023;71:101366. doi: 10.1016/j.ienj.2023.101366. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources
- MDPI
- PubMed Central
Research Materials
- NCI CPTC Antibody Characterization Program

[1] Waitt C., Waitt P., Pirmohamed M. Intravenous therapy. Postgrad. Med. J. 2004;80:1–6. doi: 10.1136/pmj.2003.010421. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[2] Waitt C., Waitt P., Pirmohamed M. Intravenous therapy. Postgrad. Med. J. 2004;80:1–6. doi: 10.1136/pmj.2003.010421. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[3] Regina M.L., Vecchié A., Bonaventura A., Prisco D. Patient Safety in Internal Medicine. In: Donaldson L., Ricciardi W., Sheridan S., Tartaglia R., editors. Textbook of Patient Safety and Clinical Risk Management. Springer; Cham, Switzerland: 2020. pp. 213–252. - PubMed

[4] Regina M.L., Vecchié A., Bonaventura A., Prisco D. Patient Safety in Internal Medicine. In: Donaldson L., Ricciardi W., Sheridan S., Tartaglia R., editors. Textbook of Patient Safety and Clinical Risk Management. Springer; Cham, Switzerland: 2020. pp. 213–252. - PubMed

[5] Niederman M.S., Baron R.M., Bouadma L., Calandra T., Daneman N., DeWaele J., Kollef M.H., Lipman J., Nair G.B. Initial antimicrobial management of sepsis. Crit. Care. 2021;25:307. doi: 10.1186/s13054-021-03736-w. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[6] Niederman M.S., Baron R.M., Bouadma L., Calandra T., Daneman N., DeWaele J., Kollef M.H., Lipman J., Nair G.B. Initial antimicrobial management of sepsis. Crit. Care. 2021;25:307. doi: 10.1186/s13054-021-03736-w. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[7] Pittiruti M., Van Boxtel T., Scoppettuolo G., Carr P., Konstantinou E., Ortiz Miluy G., Simcock L., Dupont C., Inwood S., Pepe G., et al. European recommendations on the proper indication and use of peripheral venous access devices: A WoCoVA project. J. Vasc. Access. 2023;24:165–182. doi: 10.1177/11297298211023274. - DOI - PubMed

[8] Pittiruti M., Van Boxtel T., Scoppettuolo G., Carr P., Konstantinou E., Ortiz Miluy G., Simcock L., Dupont C., Inwood S., Pepe G., et al. European recommendations on the proper indication and use of peripheral venous access devices: A WoCoVA project. J. Vasc. Access. 2023;24:165–182. doi: 10.1177/11297298211023274. - DOI - PubMed

[9] Xu H.G., Ullman A.J., Rickard C.M., Johnston A. Factors impacting emergency department clinicians’ peripheral intravenous catheter practice: A qualitative analysis. Int. Emerg. Nurs. 2023;71:101366. doi: 10.1016/j.ienj.2023.101366. - DOI - PubMed

[10] Xu H.G., Ullman A.J., Rickard C.M., Johnston A. Factors impacting emergency department clinicians’ peripheral intravenous catheter practice: A qualitative analysis. Int. Emerg. Nurs. 2023;71:101366. doi: 10.1016/j.ienj.2023.101366. - DOI - PubMed

Save citation to file

Email citation

Add to Collections

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search

Create a file for external citation management software

Your RSS Feed

Peripheral Intravenous Therapy in Internal Medicine Department-Antibiotics and Other Drugs' Consumption and Characteristics of Vascular Access Devices in 2-Year Observation Study

Affiliations

Peripheral Intravenous Therapy in Internal Medicine Department-Antibiotics and Other Drugs' Consumption and Characteristics of Vascular Access Devices in 2-Year Observation Study

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

Similar articles

Cited by

References

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Research Materials