With advancements in formulations, improved safety profiles, and the ability to rapidly deliver high doses, iron infusions have become increasingly common as a viable and often preferred option for treating iron deficiency, especially when oral iron is not as effective or poorly tolerated.
Among patients 65 and older, iron infusions remain one of the most common treatments given intravenously. Nine million seniors on Medicare receive them yearly in the U.S. alone – that’s nearly one infusion for every five Medicare recipients.
And, with approximately 35% of reproductive-age women suffering from iron deficiency, infusions are often prescribed when oral iron supplements are not enough to treat this condition, as they correct anemia in 68% of female patients.
However, iron can leak outside the vein during infusions, causing skin staining, pain, swelling, and permanent, irreversible discoloration at the infusion site – not to mention psychological trauma and body image issues as a result of the lifelong injury. And because iron infusions are typically administered relatively quickly in an outpatient setting, there is not enough time to detect symptoms of an injury before the patient leaves.
Last year, ivWatch received its sixth FDA clearance and is able to detect iron sucrose leaking outside of the vein, before it can evolve to these harmful conditions.
A study published in the peer-reviewed British Journal of Nursing examines the immense economic impact of extravasation injuries and outlines how ivWatch can help healthcare organizations mitigate the risks associated with IV therapy and lower the costs of these injuries through early detection.
Andrew Barton, a UK-based nurse consultant in IV therapy and vascular access and author of the study, noted in a recent article in Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare (PSQH), “I had set up our infusion unit six or seven years ago, for patients who are having non-chemotherapy infusion treatments as a day patient: antibiotics, iron infusions, and more…We do about 50 to 60 infusions a day in that unit, and one of the things I was concerned about was when those infusions were happening, some patients were getting infiltrations from the IV.”
After seeing a demonstration of ivWatch at a conference and recognizing its potential, Barton conducted a two-week trial of the technology in his infusion unit. The ivWatch monitor displays a yellow warning if there is a risk of infiltration or extravasation and red if it is happening.
“The first patient we set up went red, indicating infiltration was occurring. We looked at the patient and we couldn’t see anything wrong – and the patient didn’t feel anything either,” said Barton in PSQH. “We didn’t think the machine was working, so we continued the infusion. But five minutes later, we saw it. From that first patient onwards, we trusted the alerts and over that two-week trial, we prevented 15 extravasation injuries from occurring…Our patients now expect us to use it and we’re looking to expand its use into other units as well.”
The trial was followed by a two-month evaluation of ivWatch, which was used for approximately 1,000 infusions – and prevented 61 extravasations. “That’s 61 patients who could have gone on to a life-changing injury, certainly one that would require an extended period of time – and pain – to recover from.”
Prior to the introduction of ivWatch in Barton’s unit, they were seeing at least 2-3 extravasations per week. Since implementing ivWatch in mid-2023, that number has been reduced to zero injuries, “which saves money and time and is brilliant for patient safety. ivWatch technology is now a standard of care in my unit, which has played a major role in the early identification of extravasations and treatments,” according to Barton.
Chair of the National Infusion and Vascular Access Society (NIVAS), Barton authored the Infiltration and Extravasation Toolkit, designed to highlight IV risks and facilitate healthcare organizations’ ability to improve patient safety when it comes to IVs, giving them the steps to take toward IV injury prevention.
In a recent interview, Barton noted that ivWatch has “given the staff massive confidence around infusion therapy but also the patients coming into the unit now. As a lead for that unit and as a nurse, I can’t ask for more than for patients to feel safe during their infusion therapy, and that’s because of ivWatch.”
“The technology needs to be accepted and embraced by healthcare systems, and they need to accept that extravasations are a complication in their clinical environment. I’m really excited about the future of infusion therapy because this device can really make a difference to reduce the risks that extravasations carry.”
To better understand how these injuries occur, download The Causes Tool, a great resource to use in your nursing stations and share with others, and this educational tool outlining key facts about iron extravasation.
Learn more about ivWatch and how continuous monitoring for IV infiltration and extravasation can help to protect patients.