Intravenous catheters: biocompatibility aspects and phlebitis correlation.

Although catheters have been widely used for a long time, there are doubts if the analytical methodology in current use is enough to evaluate them biologically. Catheters were submitted to the usual methodology, in addition to the accompaniment in their clinical use, observing the thrombophlebitis induction. It was not possible to associate the phlebitis incidence (3.9%) in relationship with the raw material nature (p = 0.255), neither with the kind of the catheter type (p = 0.468).