EBP IV tubing change project

1. MITCHELL BURKE

2. ABSTRACT
• Uncertainty as to length of time Intravenous (IV)
tubing is safe for acute hospitalized patient.
• Although literature varies on conclusions, many
hospitals and healthcare organizations change with
frequency of every 72 hours to prevent infection.
• Quesiton: Can IV tubing safely be used on the
same patient for 4-7 days compared to 3 days.

3. IV TUBING CHANGE: 3 DAYS VS. 4-7
DAYS
•
While effective for medication administration, IV
therapy has risks including risk of Blood Stream
Infections (BSIs), among other related problems
that include phlebitis, extravasation, etc.
•
In order to provide high-quality care while being
cost effective it is important to determine the
optimum interval for IV tubing change.

4. METHODS
• Comparison of microorganism/bacterial
counts on cultures from IV tubing
samples from a study of stratified
random sampling between 2 groups.
• Study size: 512
• 2 groups: length of IV tubing change (3
days vs. 4-7 days)

5. RESULTS
• The study confirmed 3 cases of BSI,
originating within the 4-7 day IV tubing
random study, with a slightly higher infusate
contamination occurring in this group.
• It was determined that TPN, lipids, or blood
products should never be used past 24
hours, as the amount of bacteria produced
is too unsafe for a successful outcome.

6. DISCUSSION
• Most IV infusion BSIs originate at the site
of insertion or catheter hub (not tubing);
the data identified 3 BSIs associated with
4-7 day tubing change however given the
sample and amount of extraneous
variables involved in study, it remains
undetermined the optimal length of time
for tubing.

7. DISCUSSION
• It is however notable to mention that
while a more comprehensive study would
need to be conducted to conclusively
determine the optimal timeframe for IV
tubing, the cost savings of increasing
tubing sets from 3 days to 4-7 days was
$700,000 a year at just one institution.

8. REFERENCES
Raad, I., Hanna, H.A., Awad, A., Alrahwan, A., Bivins, C., Khan, A,…Mansour, G.
(2001). Optimal frequency of changing intravenous administration sets: Is it safe to
prolong use beyond 72 hours? Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 22(3),
136-139. Article DOI: 10.1086/501879.
Schmidt, N. A., & Brown, J. M. (2012). Evidence-based practice for nurses: Appraisal
and application of research (2nd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.