Journal of pediatric nursing
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Randomized Prospective Clinical Trial Comparing Room Temperature and Warmed Intravenous Fluid Boluses on Pediatric Patients' Comfort.
A common complaint among pediatric patients receiving an intravenous (IV) fluid bolus is that their arm feels cold and uncomfortable. The purpose of this study is to test if administering warmed IV fluids, as compared to room temperature IV fluids, results in increased comfort among pediatric patients seeking care in an emergency department. A blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted and 126 pediatric patients were enrolled. ⋯ After the first 15 minutes of IV fluid administration, the patients who received warmed IV fluids reported higher comfort than the patients who received room temperature IV fluids, t(118)=2.04, p=0.04. Additionally, patients who received the room temperature IV fluids reported that their arms felt cooler than patients who received the warmed fluids, t(118)=3.25, p=0.0015. Warming IV fluids has the potential to improve the experience of IV bolus administration for pediatric patients.