Abstract
The authors analyze the causes of complications after nursing interventions on peripheral veins. Twenty-one percent of all venipunctures involve complications, mainly subcutaneous hematomas (62% of all complications), paravasal injection of drugs (28%), spontaneous rupture of the vein (6%), obliteration of the vessel (2%), superficial phlebitis (2%), external bleeding from the vein (0.5%), and local allergic reactions (0.5%). The complications are cause mainly by incorrect technique. Recommendations are offered for preventing complications associated with peripheral infusion treatments.