Management of an extravasation will depend on the type of drug involved, the volume extravasated and the site of the extravasation.
While there is no formal NICE guideline for the management of drug extravasations, details of the drugs that are available for treating soft‑tissue extravasations, together with relevant advice, are available in the British National Formulary, currently presented on the NICE website (https://bnf.nice.org.uk/treatment-summary/soft-tissue-disorders.html).
The British National Formulary (BNF) is co-authored by the British Medical Association and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and published on the NICE website (https://bnf.nice.org.uk/about/preface.html).
Recommendations for extravasations on the NICE website are to:
- Follow local guidelines, where they exist
- Request specialist advice.
- Management of extravasations is guided by the toxicity of the vesicant and the extravasation protocols at the relevant hospital.
- Extravasation is managed mainly through nursing intervention. A senior nurse with relevant training or the Lead Chemotherapy Nurse will organise treatment of extravasation.
- Nursing staff should be trained and familiar with both extravasation guidelines and the extravasation kit which is checked regularly.
