Failure of First-attempt Insertion and Analysis of Practices Related to Peripheral Intravenous Catheters in the Emergency Department:

Peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) are essential for the management of hospitalised patients, particularly in emergency departments, where they are used to administer intravenous treatments to more than half of all patients. However, nearly 30% of insertion attempts fail on the first attempt, causing stress and pain for patients and delaying treatment. Despite their importance, PIVC insertion and management practices remain insufficiently standardised and studied, especially in the emergency setting. The CathIRU study aims to address these gaps by investigating the incidence of first-attempt insertion failure and analysing associated practices.

The primary objectives of the study are to estimate the incidence of first-attempt PIVC insertion failure in emergency departments and to identify predictive criteria for difficult vascular access. Secondary objectives include analysing PIVC insertion and management practices, assessing the incidence of unnecessary catheters placed in emergency settings, and evaluating the use of vein access techniques and alternative approaches in cases of failed insertion.

This is a prospective, multicentre observational epidemiological study. It will include 3,000 adult patients requiring a PIVC, recruited over two consecutive days in 70 centres within the IRU network. Data collection will include patient characteristics, insertion site, catheter specifications, insertion techniques, and clinical context.

Inclusion criteria comprise adult patients requiring a PIVC who have provided verbal consent for data collection. Patients with major life-threatening distress or those who had a PIVC inserted in a prehospital setting will be excluded. Data analysis will involve bivariate and multivariate logistic regression to identify risk factors associated with insertion failure and unnecessary catheters, with continuous and categorical data summarised using appropriate descriptive statistics.

The expected benefits of this study include improving PIVC insertion and management practices by enabling early identification of patients at risk of difficult vascular access, reducing complications linked to repeated punctures and delays in diagnostic and therapeutic care, and increasing awareness and training among healthcare professionals in best practices and technologies such as ultrasound guidance. In terms of societal impact, optimising PIVC management is expected to enhance patient care quality, reduce medical costs, and minimise medical waste.

The study is funded by the Société Française de Médecine d'Urgence (SFMU).