• Xin Fang, Ezra I Limm, Claire Dendle, Rhonda L Stuart, and Diana Egerton Warburton.
• Southern Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: ezralimm@gmail.com.
• Ann Emerg Med. 2013 Nov 1;62(5):521-5.

Study ObjectiveOur study aims to determine the incidence of unused peripheral intravenous cannulas inserted in the emergency department (ED).MethodsA retrospective cohort study using a structured electronic medical record review was performed in a 640-bed tertiary care hospital in Melbourne, Australia. During a 30-day period, all patients who had a peripheral intravenous cannula recorded as a procedure on their electronic medical record in the ED were included in this study.ResultsFifty percent of peripheral intravenous cannulas inserted in the ED were unused. Patients presenting with obstetric and gynecologic and neurologic symptoms were significantly more likely to have an unused cannula. Forty-three percent of patients admitted to the hospital with unused peripheral intravenous cannulas in the ED continued to have them unused 72 hours later.ConclusionThere is a high incidence of unused peripheral intravenous cannulas inserted in the ED. The risk of having an unused peripheral intravenous cannula is associated with the patient's presenting complaint. Efforts should be directed to reduce this rate of unused peripheral intravenous cannula insertion, especially in patients being admitted, to minimize the risk of complications.Copyright © 2013 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

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