Novel technologies can provide effective dressing and securement for peripheral arterial catheters: A pilot randomised controlled trial in the operating theatre and the intensive care unit.

Peripheral arterial catheters are widely used in the care of intensive care patients for continuous blood pressure monitoring and blood sampling, yet failure – from dislodgement, accidental removal, and complications of phlebitis, pain, occlusion and infection – is common. While appropriate methods of dressing and securement are required to reduce these complications that cause failure, few studies have been conducted in this area.

The pilot trial showed that the novel technologies were at least as effective as the present method of a polyurethane dressing for dressing and securement of arterial catheters, and may be cost effective. The trial also provided evidence that a larger, multicentre trial would be feasible.

Authors : Heather Reynolds ¹, Kersi Taraporewalla _², Marion Tower ³, Gabor Mihala ⁴, Haitham W Tuffaha ⁴, John F Fraser⁵, Claire M Rickard ⁶

¹NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Nursing, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Queensland, Australia; Centre for Health Practice Innovation, Griffith Health Institute, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Queensland, Australia; Department of Anaesthesiology, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Queensland, Australia; The Burns, Trauma & Critical Care Research Centre, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: h.reynolds@griffith.edu.au
²Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Care, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Queensland, Australia.
³University of Queensland Mater Clinical School, Mater Education, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
⁴Centre for Applied Health Economics, School of Medicine, Griffith University, Logan Campus, Queensland, Australia.
⁵The Prince Charles Hospital, Critical Care Research Group, Intensive Care Services, Chermside, Queensland, Australia; NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Nursing, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Queensland, Australia.
⁶NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Nursing, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Queensland, Australia; Centre for Health Practice Innovation, Griffith Health Institute, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Queensland, Australia.