Complications of intravenous therapy: reduction by buffering of intravenous fluid preparation.

Local complicationn of intravenous infusions have become a common cause of morbidity in hospitals. Two consecutive groups of patients were studied: the patients in the first group had received standard non-buffered intravenous fluid preparations with pH from 3.6 to 6.0; the second group of patients received fluids which were buffered to a neutral pH. The incidence of local complications in the first group was high (58%), with phlebitis being the most common complication which occurred in 43% of patients. The addition of a buffer to the fluids just before the infusion reduced the incidence of all complications in the second group of patients to 28%, and that of phlebitis to 19%. It will be shown that the complications can be significantly reduced by buffering the infusion fluids.