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"The purpose of this observational study was to describe characteristics of blood samples collected from pre-existing peripheral intravenous (PIV) catheters in pediatric patients"  Braniff et al (2014).

Abstract:

Aiming to minimize pain in a hospitalized child, the purpose of this observational study was to describe characteristics of blood samples collected from pre-existing peripheral intravenous (PIV) catheters in pediatric patients. One hundred and fifty blood samples were reviewed for number of unusable samples requiring a specimen to be re-drawn. Success of the blood draw and prevalence of the loss of the PIV following blood collection was also measured. Findings included one clotted specimen, success rate of 91.3%, and 1.3% of PIVs becoming non-functional after collection. Obtaining blood specimens from a pre-existing PIV should be considered in a pediatric patient.

Reference:

Braniff, H., Decarlo, A., Haskamp, A.C. and Broome, M.E. (2014) Pediatric Blood Sample Collection From a Pre-Existing Peripheral Intravenous (PIV) Catheter. Journal of Pediatric Nursing. April 18th. (epub ahead of print).