Introduction
Some practice guidelines do not recommend the use of a peripheral
intravenous catheter for irritant or vesicant continuous administration
to avoid vessel damage [1,2]. However, peripheral intravenous
catheters are unavoidably used in some patients for drug administration
because of their conditions, such as superior vena cava syndrome,
coagulopathy, or compromised
condition. In clinical settings,
induration can be observed at the catheterization sites after anticancer
drug administration even without obvious signs and symptoms of
extravasation such as feelings of tingling, burning, pain, swelling, and
redness at the injection site [2]. If induration is found by
physicians or nurses, inserting catheter to the affected site is
avoided. It can lead to catheter placement in inappropriate sites, such
as the hands, near joints, or thin fragile veins [3]. These
catheterization sites are reported as risk factors of extravasation.
Thus, induration after anticancer drug administration is a clinical
challenge for patients who must receive repetitive treatment using a
peripheral intravenous catheter; induration occurrence should be
prevented. It is important to know the actual condition of induration
very well for safe chemotherapy treatment. Ultrasonography is used to
observe the condition of the vein or surrounding tissue [4,5]. We
already reported actual condition of induration through ultrasonography
after obvious extravasation [6], but the onset process of induration
without obvious extravasation was unclear. Here, we report time-course
observation of the catheterization site from pre-catheterization to
induration development through ultrasonography (Figure 1).