https://doi.org/10.1177/1129729817747532 The Journal of Vascular Access 1–6 © The Author(s) 2018 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1129729817747532 journals.sagepub.com/home/jva JVA Te Journal of Vascular Access Introduction Peripheral intravenous (PIV) interventions are fre- quently applied in short-term IV fluid and medication therapy for pediatric patients. PIV interventions threaten patient safety and cause preventable and predictable complications. 1,2 The most important complications of PIV interventions are infiltrations and extravasations. 3 Newborns and little children are more exposed to infil- tration and extravasation (I/E) injuries than adults due to developmental and physiological factors such as com- munication skills, activity levels, and fragile vein struc- tures. 4,5 Infiltrations and extravasations generally occur with symptoms, including swelling or color changes Infiltration and extravasation in pediatric patients: A prevalence study in a children’s hospital Gülçin Özalp Gerçeker 1 , Ayşe Kahraman 2 , Figen Yardimci 2 , Elif Bilsin 3 , Şeyda Binay 2 , Hamide Nur Çevik Özdemir 2 , Atiye Karakul 4 , Dilek Zengin 2 , Seda Ardahan Sevgili 2 , Merve Gümüş 2 , Zümrüt Başbakkal 2 and Selma Akpınar 5 Abstract Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of infiltration and extravasation among children staying in a children’s hospital and the interventions carried out when infiltration or extravasation occurred. Methods: A prospective and descriptive research design was used in the study, conducted between September 2015 and February 2016, and determined the prevalence of infiltration and extravasation and their characteristics. The study sample consisted of 297 peripheral catheters in 173 pediatric patients. Results: Of 297 peripheral catheters, 50.8% were located on the right and 30.6% were inserted in the dorsal metacarpal vein. Infiltration and extravasation occurred in 2.9% and 2.3% of the patients, respectively. The prevalence of infiltration and extravasation was 5.5 and 4.4 per 1000 patient-days, respectively. The applied interventions after infiltration or extravasation included covering with a gauze dressing or alcohol-soaked cotton, cold application, irrigation with physiological saline, and elevation. Conclusion: The infiltration and extravasation prevalence were found to be high, but the interventions to address them were inadequate. Training and implementation strategies should be planned for pediatric nurses to prevent infiltration and extravasation. Keywords Child, extravasation, infiltration, peripheral intravenous catheter Date received: 5 April 2017; accepted: 6 November 2017 1 Department of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir, Turkey 2 Department of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Ege University, İzmir, Turkey 3 Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey 4 Department of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, İzmir Kâtip Çelebi University, İzmir, Turkey 5 Ege University Children’s Hospital, İzmir, Turkey Corresponding author: Gülçin Özalp Gerçeker, Department of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Dokuz Eylül University, 35330 Balçova, Izmir, Turkey. Email: gulcinozalp@gmail.com 747532JVA 0 0 10.1177/1129729817747532The Journal of Vascular AccessGerçeker et al. research-article 2018 Original research article