Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the Chinese herbal ointment Qingluo San in preventing phlebitis in patients with peripheral venous catheters. We conducted a single-center randomized controlled trial, in which 127 eligible patients were assigned randomly to one of two groups; the experimental group or the control group. The degrees of pain intensity and phlebitis were measured at baseline, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h. Demographic information (age, gender, body mass index) and phlebitis sites, catheter dwell time, hemoglobin and white blood cells were obtained from all patients. Compared with the control group, the experimental group showed significantly lower incidence of phlebitis and pain intensity at 24 h, 48 h and 72 h after intervention. However, there were no significant differences about the demographic information (age, gender, body mass index) and phlebitis sites, catheter dwell time, hemoglobin and white blood cells between these two groups. In patients with peripheral venous catheters, external treatment with Qingluo San was an effective method for decreasing the incidence of phlebitis.