Difficulty in visibility and palpation of the peripheral venous network in adults and elderly people

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the difficulty in visibility and palpation of the peripheral venous network in adults and older adults admitted to a hemodynamic intervention unit. Method: An observational prospective study was conducted with 105 adults and older adults admitted to a hemodynamic intervention unit, in a public general teaching hospital. Data were collected by means of a structured instrument consisting of demographic and clinical variables, with observation of peripheral intravenous puncture from October to December 2022. Descriptive analysis was performed, calculating proportions. Results: Results show a difficulty during palpation and visualization of the vein of 11.4% and 16.2%, respectively. Among those who had difficulty visualizing the vein, 60% were unsuccessful in the first puncture attempt. Conclusion: Peripheral puncture in veins with greater visibility and palpation difficulty contribute to failure in the first attempt.