Key result
Placement of a peripheral intravenous cannula at the dorsum of the hand in an orthopedic patient using a walking aid resulted in a fatigue fracture of the cannula due to repeated bending at the wrist.
Case Report (n=1)
No
Peripheral IV cannulas should be placed away from the wrist joint in orthopedic patients using walking aids to prevent catheter bending and fatigue fracture.
Potential hand/wrist IV fracture risk with walking aids warrants site caution; leaves open incidence and need for prospective data.
In orthopedic patients peripheral intra venous (IV) cannulation is a common procedure for various clinical purposes. After the surgery most of the patient uses walking aids (walking frame, crutches) for mobilization. The dorsum of the hand or wrist is one of the most common place for the peripheral IV cannulation. When patients holding weight bearing devices, there is a potential of bending the catheter part of the cannula. Repeated bending can result in fatigue fracture of the cannula. To avoid these, it is advisable to place the peripheral venous cannulas at places away from wrist joint which will prevent the catheter bending and fracture of it. This is an very important point to be consider when placing cannulas in orthopedic surgical patients.
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Karunathilaka et al. (2020) conducted a case report in Intravenous cannula fracture (n=1). Peripheral IV cannulation at the dorsum of the hand was evaluated on Intravenous fracture of cannula. Placement of a peripheral intravenous cannula at the dorsum of the hand in an orthopedic patient using a walking aid resulted in a fatigue fracture of the cannula due to repeated bending at the wrist.
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