Post-insertion care

Ongoing care

Your local hospital policy will provide detailed guidance on ongoing care, but the following rules provide a general guide:

• Inspect the insertion site at the start of every shift and before, during and following IV administration.
• PIVCs should be replaced every 48 hours unless removal at 72 hours is anticipated. NB: some institutions will have a ‘resiting when clinically indicated’ policy, with no time frame specified.
• PIVCs inserted under emergency conditions should be replaced within 24 hours.
• Any PIVC that is no longer needed should be promptly removed.
• PIVCs with continuous infusions should be visually inspected hourly and at least every 8 hours with no infusion. The clinician should look for signs of phlebitis , tenderness and infiltration.
• Flushing is recommended to promote and maintain patency, but also to prevent the mixing of incompatible medications and solutions. PIVCs should be flushed at least every 24 hours.

For more information about ongoing care, view the PIVC Guideline from the I-CARE resources provided by CHRISP.