Extravasation | |
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Specialty | Toxicology |
Extravasation is the leakage of intravenously (IV) infused, and potentially damaging, medications into the extravascular tissue around the site of infusion. The leakage can occur through brittle veins in the elderly, through previous venipuncture access, or through direct leakage from wrongly positioned venous access devices. When the leakage is not of harmful consequence it is known as infiltration. Extravasation of medication during intravenous therapy is an adverse event related to therapy that, depending on the medication, amount of exposure, and location, can potentially cause serious injury and permanent harm, such as tissue necrosis. Milder consequences of extravasation include irritation, characterized by symptoms of pain and inflammation, with the clinical signs of warmth, erythema, or tenderness. [1]
Complications related to extravasation are possible with any medication. Since vesicants are blistering agents, extravasation may lead to irreversible tissue injury.
Extravasation is particularly serious during chemotherapy, since chemotherapy medications are highly toxic.
The best "treatment" of extravasation is prevention. Depending on the medication that has extravasated, there are potential management options and treatments that aim to minimize damage, although the effectiveness of many of these treatments has not been well studied. [2] In cases of tissue necrosis, surgical debridement and reconstruction may be necessary. The following steps are typically involved in managing extravasation:
List of vesicant and irritant medications: [2]
Intravenous therapy is a medical technique that administers fluids, medications and nutrients directly into a person's vein. The intravenous route of administration is commonly used for rehydration or to provide nutrients for those who cannot, or will not—due to reduced mental states or otherwise—consume food or water by mouth. It may also be used to administer medications or other medical therapy such as blood products or electrolytes to correct electrolyte imbalances. Attempts at providing intravenous therapy have been recorded as early as the 1400s, but the practice did not become widespread until the 1900s after the development of techniques for safe, effective use.
In medicine, venipuncture or venepuncture is the process of obtaining intravenous access for the purpose of venous blood sampling or intravenous therapy. In healthcare, this procedure is performed by medical laboratory scientists, medical practitioners, some EMTs, paramedics, phlebotomists, dialysis technicians, and other nursing staff. In veterinary medicine, the procedure is performed by veterinarians and veterinary technicians.
A route of administration in pharmacology and toxicology is the way by which a drug, fluid, poison, or other substance is taken into the body.
An injection is the act of administering a liquid, especially a drug, into a person's body using a needle and a syringe. An injection is considered a form of parenteral drug administration; it does not involve absorption in the digestive tract. This allows the medication to be absorbed more rapidly and avoid the first pass effect. There are many types of injection, which are generally named after the body tissue the injection is administered into. This includes common injections such as subcutaneous, intramuscular, and intravenous injections, as well as less common injections such as intraperitoneal, intraosseous, intracardiac, intraarticular, and intracavernous injections.
A peripherally inserted central catheter, less commonly called a percutaneous indwelling central catheter, is a form of intravenous access that can be used for a prolonged period of time or for administration of substances that should not be done peripherally. It is a catheter that enters the body through the skin (percutaneously) at a peripheral site, extends to the superior vena cava, and stays in place for days or weeks.
Daunorubicin, also known as daunomycin, is a chemotherapy medication used to treat cancer. Specifically it is used for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), and Kaposi's sarcoma. It is used by injection into a vein. A liposomal formulation known as liposomal daunorubicin also exists.
Anthracyclines are a class of drugs used in cancer chemotherapy that are extracted from Streptomyces bacterium. These compounds are used to treat many cancers, including leukemias, lymphomas, breast, stomach, uterine, ovarian, bladder cancer, and lung cancers. The first anthracycline discovered was daunorubicin, which is produced naturally by Streptomyces peucetius, a species of Actinomycetota. Clinically the most important anthracyclines are doxorubicin, daunorubicin, epirubicin and idarubicin.
Epirubicin is an anthracycline drug used for chemotherapy. It can be used in combination with other medications to treat breast cancer in patients who have had surgery to remove the tumor. It is marketed by Pfizer under the trade name Ellence in the US and Pharmorubicin or Epirubicin Ebewe elsewhere.
FOLFOX is a chemotherapy regimen for treatment of colorectal cancer, made up of the drugs folinic acid, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin.
Infiltration is the diffusion or accumulation of foreign substances in amounts excess of the normal. The material collected in those tissues or cells is called infiltrate.
Dexrazoxane hydrochloride is a cardioprotective agent. It was discovered by Eugene Herman in 1972. The IV administration of dexrazoxane is in acidic condition with HCl adjusting the pH.
A saline flush is the method of clearing intravenous lines (IVs), central lines or arterial lines of any medicine or other perishable liquids to keep the lines (tubes) and entry area clean and sterile. Typically in flushing an intravenous cannula, a 5 - 10ml syringe of saline is emptied into the medication port of the cannula's connecting hub after insertion of the cannula. A 10ml syringe needs to be used to ensure correct pressure, whether you are giving 5ml or 10ml Blood left in the cannula or hub can lead to clots forming and blocking the cannula. Flushing is required before a drip is connected to ensure that the IV is still patent.
Treprostinil, sold under the brand names Remodulin for infusion, Orenitram for oral, and Tyvaso for inhalation, is a vasodilator that is used for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Treprostinil is a synthetic analog of prostacyclin (PGI2).
Capillary leak syndrome is characterized by the escape of blood plasma through capillary walls, from the blood circulatory system to surrounding tissues, muscle compartments, organs or body cavities. It is a phenomenon most commonly witnessed in sepsis, and less frequently in autoimmune diseases, differentiation syndrome, engraftment syndrome, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, the ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, viral hemorrhagic fevers, and snakebite and ricin poisoning. Pharmaceuticals, including the chemotherapy medications gemcitabine and denileukin diftitox, as well as certain interleukins and monoclonal antibodies, can also cause capillary leaks. These conditions and factors are sources of secondary capillary leak syndrome.
Extravasation is the leakage of a fluid out of its container into the surrounding area, especially blood or blood cells from vessels. In the case of inflammation, it refers to the movement of white blood cells from the capillaries to the tissues surrounding them. In the case of malignant cancer metastasis it refers to cancer cells exiting the capillaries and entering organs. It is frequently used in medical contexts, either referring to urine, or to blood.
In medicine, a peripheral venous catheter, peripheral venous line, peripheral venous access catheter, or peripheral intravenous catheter, is a catheter placed into a peripheral vein for venous access to administer intravenous therapy such as medication fluids.
Purple glove syndrome (PGS) is a poorly understood skin disease in which the extremities become swollen, discoloured and painful. PGS is potentially serious, and may require amputation. PGS is most common among elderly patients and those receiving multiple large intravenous doses of the epilepsy drug phenytoin. Compartment syndrome is a complication of PGS.
Lipoplatin is a nanoparticle of 110 nm average diameter composed of lipids and cisplatin. This new drug has successfully finished Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III human clinical trials. It has shown superiority to cisplatin in combination with paclitaxel as a chemotherapy regimen in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) adenocarcinomas.
In medicine, vascular access is a means of accessing the bloodstream through the peripheral or central blood vessels in order to obtain blood or deliver medications including chemotherapy. A vascular access procedure involves insertion of a sterile plastic tube called a catheter into a blood vessel. Types of catheters can be either peripherally or centrally located. Peripheral catheters are approximately one inch (25 mm) long and are inserted into the small veins of the forearm. Central catheters are bigger and longer and are inserted into the large veins of the extremities, neck, or chest. Central venous catheters are the primary modality used for delivery of chemotherapeutic agents. The duration of central venous catheterization is dependent on the type of treatment given.
Dopamine, sold under the brandname Intropin among others, is a medication most commonly used in the treatment of very low blood pressure, a slow heart rate that is causing symptoms, and, if epinephrine is not available, cardiac arrest. In newborn babies it continues to be the preferred treatment for very low blood pressure. In children epinephrine or norepinephrine is generally preferred while in adults norepinephrine is generally preferred for very low blood pressure. It is given intravenously or intraosseously as a continuous infusion. Effects typically begin within five minutes. Doses are then increased to effect.