A Randomised Control Trial to Assess the Effectiveness of Normal Saline Flush on Patients with IV Cannulation for Maintaining the Patency of IV Lines in HSK Hospital Bagalkot

Background of the Study: The concept of intermittent use of an intravenous (I. V) catheter began in the early 1970s, when a stopcock was added to plastic tubing on a winged needle. Almost all patients admitted to hospital require a peripheral intravenous catheter to provide access for administration of drugs and fluids and Parenteral nutrition. Catheter flushing is the primary nursing intervention and to prevent lumen occlusion from thrombotic and precipitate cause. Some institutes use of dilution of heparin for this purpose, where as many others use of small amount of saline lock. A study was conducted titled as ?A Randomised Control trial to assess the effectiveness of normal saline flush on patients with IV cannulation for maintaining the patency of IV lines in HSK hospital Bagalkot.? Objectives: 1) To assess the level of patency of IV lines. 2) To determine the effectiveness of normal saline flush on patients with IV cannulation for maintaining the patency of IV lines. 3) To find out the association between the patency of IV lines with socio demographic variables among IV cannulation patient. Methodology: Study design was true experimental post test only design.100 hospitalized patients who having IV line were selected by Convenience sampling method and divided into two groups. Experimental group (n=50) received 2 ml of normal saline flush twice a day after IV injection and control group (n=50) were on a routine treatment. The data was analysed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The mean post test score of patency of intravenous line in the experimental group (0.86) is lesser than mean post test score of patency of intravenous line in the control group (1.24), hence the study revealed that normal saline flush is found effective to maintain the patency of intravenous line among IV cannulation patients in experimental group. The calculated t value (1.90) is greater than the table value (1.66) at 0.05 level of significance, showed that there is a significant difference between the two groups, hence it is significant. Interpretation and Conclusion: There was significant difference found between the two groups, therefore study showed that that normal saline flush was found effective to maintain the patency of intravenous line among IV cannulation patients.