Effect of filtration on complications of postoperative intravenous therapy.

The incidence of intravenous complications (phlebitis) and the length of hospital stay in postoperative patients whose infusions were filtered through inline final filters were compared with those in patients whose infusions were not filtered. Identical i.v. solutions were administered to 150 postoperative orthopedic patients randomly assigned to three study groups: control (no filter), 5-micrometers membrane filter and 0.45-micrometers membrane filter. An i.v. therapy team of seven nurses inspected patients for phlebitis. The phlebitis rate of the control group (27%) was significantly greater (p less than 0.05) than that of the 0.45-micrometers filter group (6%) but not significantly different (p less than 0.9) from that of the 5-micrometers filter group (22%). In a subgroup of 104 patients undergoing total hip replacement, the mean reduction in length of postoperative hospital stay compared with the control group (13.6 days) was: 5-micrometers filter group--3.4 days (p less than 0.01); and 0.45-micrometer filter group--3.3 days (p less than 0.01). The results suggest that final filters can be used to reduce the incidence of phlebitis-related i.v. complications and thereby reduce the length of hospital stay.