Confirming correct peripheral intravenous cannula placement to avoid extravasation – Full Text

"Extravasation from peripheral intravenous cannulation may sometimes go undetected in critical care units, as patients may not be able to communicate the pain due to sedation and mechanical ventilation" Babu et al (2025).

"Extravasation from peripheral intravenous cannulation may sometimes go undetected in critical care units, as patients may not be able to communicate the pain due to sedation and mechanical ventilation" Babu et al (2025).

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Confirming correct peripheral intravenous cannula placement to avoid extravasation

Extract:

“Identification of the SCV by injecting agitated saline into the peripheral intravenous cannula during ultrasound-guided SCV cannulation has been described. We used this technique in reverse to avoid extravasation by confirming the correct position of the peripheral intravenous cannula. Extravasation from peripheral intravenous cannulation may sometimes go undetected in critical care units, as patients may not be able to communicate the pain due to sedation and mechanical ventilation. Additionally, identifying extravasation around peripherally cannulated veins using ultrasound is extremely difficult in edematous patients. In our case, we identified the additional role of ultrasound in detecting the absence of extravasation by observing the peripherally injected agitated saline microbubbles in the SCV.”

Reference:

Babu MSS, Gadhinglajkar SV, Gayathri G, Brahmam D. Role of ultrasound imaging of subclavian vein to confirm correct placement of the peripheral intravenous cannula to avoid extravasation in an edematous patient. J Anaesthesiol Clin Pharmacol. 2025 Oct-Dec;41(4):742-743. doi: 10.4103/joacp.joacp_406_24. Epub 2025 Jul 9. PMID: 41181264; PMCID: PMC12578182.