Hospital-aquired injury

Hospitalized patients of all ages are at risk for iatrogenic injuries. Peripheral intravenous extravasation and infiltration (PIVIE) injuries are one of the most common types of hospital-acquired injury, with the potential to cause long-term disfigurement or loss of function. While the administration of fluids and medications through intravenous catheters is a common practice in the hospital, it is not without significant risk if fluids leak from the vasculature into surrounding tissues. Depending on the type and amount of fluid that enters the tissue, varying degrees of tissue damage may result. The pathophysiology of this tissue damage may also vary.

Editor's Note: How can facilities lower their hospital-acquired pressure injury (HAPI) rates? In this interview, Kelly McFee, DNP, FNP-C, CWS, CWCN-AP, FACCWS, DAPWCA discusses setting up a pressure injury prevention program at her facility with a focus on multidisciplinary efforts, along with resources that helped move this initiative along.