Complications of Infusing Heated Fluid Through Intravascular Catheter to Hypothermia Patient

 

Situations associated with the potential for complications:

(1) heating the fluid in a microwave oven

(2) malfunctioning fluid warmer that overheats the fluid

(3) fluid warmer set too high

 

Complications of infusing a hot fluid through an intravenous catheter:

(1) full thickness dermal burn over the vein

(2) venous thrombosis

 

Prevention:

(1) Use a fluid warmer rather than microwave heated fluid if possible.

(2) Make sure equipment operates properly and has working safety features.

(3) If a microwave is used to heat the fluid, check the temperature before infusing it.

 

NOTE: Heating a blood component in a microwave oven has its own set of problems.