UNBS-3243

The majority of hospitalized patients receive a Peripheral Venous Catheter (PVC) in the course of their treatment. Extravasation injury is a serious complication of intravenous treatment.

This cross-sectional survey designed study aims to investigate nurses’ knowledge and experience related to short peripheral venous catheter extravasation.

The study sample included 145 nurses working in a university hospital in the west of Turkey. A questionnaire developed in accordance with the literature was used for data collection. The data were assessed by frequency and proportions.

Of the nurses included in this study, 26.2% reported they had experienced extravasation injury in a patient; 74.5% said they had received no instruction in the management of extravasation during their in-service training program; and 85.5% stated they did not keep a record of extravasation. 89.7% of the nurses reported infused medications as a cause of extravasation, and 81.4% reported catheter sites as a cause. Among the medications reported by the nurses as causing extravasation: 89.7% reported contrast agents; 84.8% TPN solutions; 71.0% cytotoxic agents; and 65.1% mannitol. The symptoms of extravasation reported by nurses included: swelling (97.9%), redness (97.2%), pain (92.4%), rise in temperature (65.5%), and ulceration (60.0%). In responding to the occurrence of extravasation, interventions reported by the nurses included: stopping the flow of fluid (98.6%), elevation (89.7%), cold application (76.6%), and aspiration of drug (40.7%).

Based on these results, it is recommended that guidelines are developed for the management of extravasation, that periodic in-service training programs are provided and that observational studies are carried out into the administration of vesicant drugs.

The burden of hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) in Europe is not well characterized.

To evaluate real-world patient characteristics, treatment patterns, clinical manifestations, and healthcare resource utilization for patients with HES from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

In this retrospective, noninterventional study, data for patients with a physician-confirmed diagnosis of HES were abstracted from medical chart reviews. Patients were aged 6 years or older at the time of HES diagnosis and had 1 or more years of follow-up from the index date (first clinic visit between January 2015 and December 2019). Data on treatment patterns, comorbidities, clinical manifestations, clinical outcomes, and healthcare resource utilization were collected from diagnosis or index date to end of follow-up.

Data for 280 patients were abstracted from medical charts by 121 physicians treating HES, with multiple specialties. Most patients (55%) had idiopathic HES, and 24% had myeloid HES; the median number (interquartile range [IQR]) of diagnostic tests per patient was 10 (6-12). The most common comorbidities were asthma (45%) and anxiety or depression (36%). Most patients (89%) used oral corticosteroids; 64% used immunosuppressants or cytotoxic agents, and 44% used biologics. Patients had a median (IQR) of 3 clinical manifestations (1-5), most commonly constitutional (63%), lung (49%), and skin (48%). Twenty-three percent of patients experienced a flare, and 40% had a complete treatment response. Some patients (30%) were hospitalized with a median (IQR) stay of 9 days (5-15) for HES-related issues.

Patients with HES across 5 European countries had a substantial disease burden despite extensive oral corticosteroids treatment, highlighting the need for additional targeted therapies.