The Effect of Local Warming Before Vascular Access on Vascular Access Indicators in Adult Patients Receiving Chemotherapy: A Systematic Review

Intravenous (IV) cannulation is difficult, especially in patients undergoing chemotherapy due to frequent exposure to venous catheterization as well as the destructive effects of chemotherapy drugs on the vessel wall. Therefore, an easy, accessible, and fast method is needed to facilitate venous cannula insertion.

This study aimed to systematically review studies on the effects of local warming before insertion of peripheral venous cannulas on vascular access in adult patients receiving chemotherapy.

This systematic review was conducted by searching databases including PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, Embase, CINAHL, and ProQuest. The full search of information sources was conducted from the inception of the databases up to December 7, 2020, using the keywords namely “warming”, “heat”, “chemotherapy”, “cancer”, “vein score”, “catheterization”, “visibility,” and “palpability.” All randomized and nonrandomized trials that were in English language and full text were included. The search was based on the PRISMA guidelines, and finally, six articles were selected for the review. The 8-item JADAD scale was used to evaluate the quality of the included articles.

After a complete search, 244 articles were recovered and reviewed. Finally, six articles, including 516 samples, met the criteria for entering the study. Findings indicated that local warming at the IV insertion site increased insertion success rate at the first attempt, increased vein score, increased patient satisfaction and relaxation and reduced the catheterization time, reduced pain intensity, reduced pain perceived by the nurse, and reduced the number of pricks.

Findings suggest that using local warming at the IV insertion sites in patients receiving chemotherapy is an effective, easy, and cost-effective method that can be performed using very simple tools and is recommended for all health care providers.