Common Causes of IV Failure
Common Causes of IV Failure
If you’ve gotten an IV, you’ve probably wondered how the entire operation works. From insertion to medication distribution, there’s plenty that goes on when it comes to an IV. But you likely have also thought “What happens if there is IV failure?”

1. Infiltration
2. Extravasation
3. Phlebitis
Read more on IV infiltration, extravasation, and phlebitis. Hospital patients receiving IV therapy have as much as a 50% chance of their IV failing. With a number that staggeringly high, ivWatch was created to help patients avoid painful treatment options and hospitals avoid costly failures. But what causes these IV issues? Here are a few: IV Dislodgement IV dislodgement is the displacement of a catheter that was previously securely in position.1 These issues often occur when patients are moved or when equipment is checked or adjusted. Dislodgement can happen due to a variety of other reasons – sweating, hair around the IV site, and skin oils can cause the dressing to become less sticky and come loose more easily. The IV can also become dislodged when the site is bumped or IV tubing is accidentally pulled. Dislodgment can cause a catheter to back out, spilling the IV fluids around the IV site instead of in the vein. The key to preventing IV dislodgement, one group says, is to make securement the priority and educating the patient. 2
Improper IV Insertion
Like many issues, IV failure can be pinpointed to the very beginning of IV therapy.
For example, an infiltration or extravasation can be caused when the IV catheter punctures a vein wall when the catheter is first inserted.
An improper insertion can be prevented by using proper techniques, selecting the appropriate IV needle size, and locating the right vein.3

References
1Medical dictionary – “Dislodgement”: https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/dislodgement
2 Infection Control Today – “Shifting the Standard of Care in IV Dislodgement Prevention”: https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/shifting-standard-care-iv-dislodgement-prevention
3Lippincott NursingCenter – “Complications of Peripheral I.V. Therapy”: https://www.nursingcenter.com/ncblog/february-2015-(1)/complications-of-peripheral-i-v-therapy
4ScienceDirect – “Vascular Fragility”: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/vascular-fragility
5Nursing2021 – “Vascular access challenges”: https://journals.lww.com/nursing/Citation/2012/02000/Vascular_access_challenges__Small,_fragile_veins.20.aspx