BACKGROUND: Short peripheral catheters (SPCs) are used to provide intravenous therapies in hospitalized patients. Recently, the category of SPC has become more complex, with the introduction in clinical practice of "integrated" SPCs (ISPCs), renewed regarding the material (polyurethane rather than polytetrafluoroethylene) and design (large wing
pre-assembled extension
preassembled needle-free connector (NFC)). METHODS: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to analyze randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-randomized studies in hospitalized patients, analyzing the risk of overall catheter failure as well as the risk of each type of complication (occlusion, infiltration, thrombophlebitis, and dislodgement) for ISPCs compared to non-integrated SPCs. These systematic review and meta-analysis were registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022322970). DATA SOURCES: We searched PUBMED RESULTS: Included studies:The research identified 1260 articles. After the abstract review, 13 studies were included for full manuscript review and, after that, six papers (4727 patients) were included in the meta-analysis.Description of the effect:We found a significantly reduced risk of catheter failure (pooling all complications) for ISPCs compared to SPCs ( CONCLUSIONS: ISPCs significantly reduce the risks of catheter failure (overall complications) and occlusion. More RCTs are needed to understand if the preassembled ISPC is better than the composted closed system (non-integrated SPC + extension line + NFC).