On the efficacy of low dose prednisolone and heparin sodium in the prevention of infusion thrombophlebitis. A double-blind trial.

A prospective, double-blind investigation into the effectiveness of the addition to infusion fluids of an injectable containing 0.3 mg prednisolone and 10 units heparin per ml in a phosphate buffer pH = 7.5 versus the phosphate buffer alone is described. 196 Patients were allocated alternately to each group. On a total number of 593 cannulation days, 16 cases of thrombophlebitis were diagnosed. Statistical evaluation revealed a significant difference between the two groups (p less than 0.01) in favour of prednisolone + heparin sodium.