Flushing hemodynamic catheters: what does the science tell us?

The effects of pulsatile flushing on phlebitis and peripheral intravenous catheters patency

Background and Aim: Thrombophlebitis is considered as a major cause of peripheral intravenous catheters (PICs) failure. The flushing technique in the laboratory has been effective in clearing the catheter duct, but its effectiveness in the clinical setting is unknown, therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of pulsatile flushing on phlebitis, type, and duration of PICs pate...

Mistaking the Map for the Territory: What Society Does With Medicine; Comment on “Medicalisation and Overdiagnosis: What Society Does to Medicine”

Van Dijk et al describe how society’s influence on medicine drives both medicalisation and overdiagnosis, and allege that a major political and ethical concern regarding our increasingly interpreting the world through a biomedical lens is that it serves to individualise and depoliticize social problems. I argue that for medicalisation to serve this purpose, it would have to exclude the possibil...

What Does Risk-Neutral Skewness Tell Us About Future Stock Returns?

Effect of Continuous Flushing on Patency Time of Peripheral Intravenous Catheters

Background and purpose: Occlusion is a decreasing factor on longevity of peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs). Continuous flushing (injection of specific volume of solution such as Normal Saline (N/S) before and after each drug infusion into PIVCs at determined interval time) is one of the effective methods in in vitro studies to maintain the PIVCs patency. The aim of this study was to inve...

Flushing and Locking of Venous Catheters: Available Evidence and Evidence Deficit

Flushing and locking of intravenous catheters are thought to be essential in the prevention of occlusion. The clinical sign of an occlusion is catheter malfunction and flushing is strongly recommended to ensure a well-functioning catheter. Therefore fluid dynamics, flushing techniques, and sufficient flushing volumes are important matters in adequate flushing in all catheter types. If a cathete...