Sesame oil helps avert phlebitis at IV cannula sites

The use of topical sesame oil may prevent or reduce the severity of phlebitis at intravenous (IV) cannula sites in patients, suggests a Singapore study.

However, “the lack of statistically significant results makes it difficult to eliminate the possibility that these results could have been obtained by chance,” the investigators said. “Therefore, we recommend that larger studies be conducted in [the] future to better test this hypothesis.”

A total of 263 participants were recruited into this double-blind randomized controlled trial, of whom six withdrew and seven were excluded. The remaining participants were randomly allocated to receive either sesame oil (treatment group: n=121) or liquid paraffin oil (control group: n=129).

Five drops of sesame oil or mineral oil were applied to the IV cannula site at 12-h interval, for a maximum duration of 72 h. The investigators assessed phlebitis severity prior to each application using a modified Visual Infusion Phlebitis (VIP) scale.

Itching developed in three participants following the application of liquid paraffin oil, leading to the discontinuation of the intervention. [Proc Singap Healthc 2026;doi:10.1177/20101058261418462]

Participants who received sesame oil showed a lower incidence of phlebitis than those who received the liquid paraffin oil (9.1 percent vs 15.5 percent), but the difference did not reach statistical significance (p=0.12). In addition, patients in the intervention group had phlebitis scores no higher than 2, while two in the control group recorded scores of 3.

The lack of a statistical significance could be due to “the relatively low incidence rate of phlebitis experienced in this study, as the sample population consisted of patients who possessed varying degrees of phlebitic risk within a cardiac inpatient ward,” according to the investigators.

Generalizability

In previous studies, phlebitis incidences were higher since the focus was only on patients with a high risk of developing chemical phlebitis, namely those treated with amiodarone or chemotherapy. [Iran J Pharm Res 2012;11:1065-1071; Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res 2015;20:365-370; Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 2023;24:1113-1117]

“Unlike that of previous studies, the current study did not limit patient recruitment by medical therapy, hence giving the results more generalizability,” the investigators said.

“However, we do recommend that future studies be conducted on a larger scale, to reduce the likelihood of the results being due to chance,” they added.

In another study, the odds of developing phlebitis rise by 5 percent for every 24 h that the IV cannula remains inserted. [Am J Med 2020;133:473-484]

“Despite this, we observed an increasing effect size with the use of sesame oil in the treatment group after 36 h, suggesting that sesame oil could be more effective when repeatedly applied over longer periods,” the investigators said.

Furthermore, the current findings showed a greater effect size in female vs male participants and in those aged >64 vs <64 years.

“While some studies have shown a greater prevalence of IV cannula-related phlebitis in females, and amongst older patients, the reason that sesame oil seemed to be more effective at preventing phlebitis in these populations has not been studied in detail through this study,” the investigators said. [J Family Med Prim Care 2019;8:2827-2831; J Vasc Access 2019;21:342-349; Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014;35:63-68]

“Future studies could consider exploring the possible reasons behind the association between gender, age, and the effectiveness of topical sesame oil in the prevention of phlebitis,” they added.