OBJECTIVE: To establish variations in clinical practice associated with maintaining the patency of @entity1897 ( @entity1897 ) and to determine to what extent such clinical practice falls within the limits of the available scientific evidence, based on a random sample Spanish public hospitals. METHODS: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was carried out in non- @entity146 public hospitals and their associated medical and surgical units. Cluster (hospitals), stratified (hospital size), and single level (all units) sampling was applied. A questionnaire was mailed to all of the units involved. RESULTS: A sample of 341 valid questionnaires was analysed (response rate 54.5%). Only one praxis-modality was carried out in the majority of units. Intermittent @entity1671 and heparin saline versus normal saline was the most frequent modality employed, over those of continuous @entity1671 and non-heparinised saline. There was a high degree of variation in the quantity of heparin administered: 81.7% when @entity1671 was carried out with heparinised saline and 48.2% when it was conducted with concentrated heparin. About 40% of this variation was associated with the hospital in question, rather than with the unit. The clinical practice fell within the limits of available scientific evidence in fewer than half of the units studied. CONCLUSIONS: There was a high degree of variability in the practice of maintaining @entity1897 patency. A significant part of this variation was attributable to the hospital in which the practice was carried out. Moreover, most of this practice was carried out beyond the limits of available scientific evidence.

Variability in the clinical practice of maintaining the patency of XXXX .

@entity1671 :: ('MESH:D005483', 'Disease') :: ['flushing'] @entity1897 :: ('MESH:D010523', 'Disease') :: ['peripheral intravenous catheters', 'PIC'] @entity146 :: ('MESH:D001523', 'Disease') :: ['psychiatric']
@entity1897 :: (MESH:D010523,Disease) :: ['peripheral intravenous catheters']
