The need of use of peripheral venous catheters and the importance of a proper management to avoid catheter colonization or phlebitis requires two possible preventive approaches: lock therapy with heparin or saline.~Heparin demonstrated its efficacy in central venous catheters, but there are still controversies of whether it is useful in peripheral venous catheters.~Objectives To compare the efficacy of heparin in peripheral venous catheters lock versus saline for the prevention of colonization and phlebitis in patients admitted to an Internal Medicine Department.~Methods: A clinical, prospective. controlled and randomized study with patients with a peripheral venous catheter.~Patients will be randomized to either receive heparin or saline. The investigators will monitored the clinical out come to further evaluate catheter colonization rate, phlebitis rate, days of hospital stay, antimicrobial costs, and adverse effects.
A clinical, prospective. controlled and randomized study with patients with a peripheral venous catheter. Patients will be randomized to either receive heparin or saline. The investigators will monitored the clinical out come to further evaluate catheter colonization rate, phlebitis rate, days of hospital stay, antimicrobial costs, and adverse effects.