Table of contents
- IV therapy statistics at a glance
- Peripheral IV access and why the numbers stay high
- Infusion safety, errors, and device performance
- NHS supply and procurement signals
- Infusion pump data from FDA, Baxter, ICU Medical, and KORU Medical
- What the OPAT survey says about outpatient infusion care
IV therapy statistics at a glance
IV therapy sits at the intersection of routine care and high-stakes clinical execution.
The supplied statistics show a market and practice environment that is both large and operationally complex: almost 1 billion SPIVCs are inserted worldwide each year (NHS Supply Chain SPIVC Clinical Review 2018), more than 300 NHS Trusts use safety peripheral intravenous cannulae (NHS Supply Chain SPIVC Clinical Review 2018), and up to 60% of inpatients in UK hospitals have at least one peripheral IV access device in use (NHS Supply Chain SPIVC Clinical Review 2018).
Fast facts
- More than 25 million SPIVC units are sold annually (NHS Supply Chain SPIVC Clinical Review 2018).
- One in three hospital admissions in the UK involves at least one peripheral IV cannula (NHS Supply Chain SPIVC Clinical Review 2018).
- Phlebitis affects 20-80% of patients who receive PIVCs (NHS Supply Chain SPIVC Clinical Review 2018).
- In the NIHR study, 1,326 patients and 2,008 infusions were observed (NIHR Intravenous infusion practices across).
- The OPAT survey drew 622 responses from 1,639 invited Emerging Infections Network members, a 38% response rate (OPAT survey 2025).
Big picture: the data points consistently describe a therapy category that is widely used, tightly standardized in some settings, and still vulnerable to avoidable variation.
Peripheral IV access and why the numbers stay high
Peripheral IV access is not a niche service. It is a core part of inpatient treatment, emergency treatment, and short-course infusion therapy.
The dataset points to that scale in several ways. Up to 60% of inpatients in UK hospitals have at least one peripheral IV access device in use and one in three hospital admissions in the UK involves at least one peripheral IV cannula (NHS Supply Chain SPIVC Clinical Review 2018). Those two figures together suggest that IV access is not an edge case; it is part of the daily operating load of acute care.
The device itself is also positioned for short durations. SPIVC are intended for short-term 3-5 day IV therapy infusions (NHS Supply Chain SPIVC Clinical Review 2018). That short intended use window helps explain why turnover, replacement, and standardization matter so much.
At a glance: the scale of peripheral IV use
| Measure | Figure | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| Safety peripheral IV cannulae use | Over 300 NHS Trusts | NHS Supply Chain SPIVC Clinical Review 2018 |
| Annual SPIVC units sold | More than 25 million | NHS Supply Chain SPIVC Clinical Review 2018 |
| Worldwide SPIVCs inserted each year | Almost 1 billion | NHS Supply Chain SPIVC Clinical Review 2018 |
| UK inpatients with at least one peripheral IV device | Up to 60% | NHS Supply Chain SPIVC Clinical Review 2018 |
| UK admissions involving at least one peripheral IV cannula | One in three | NHS Supply Chain SPIVC Clinical Review 2018 |
That table matters because it shows how the same category can look different depending on the lens:
- Procurement lens: millions of devices sold each year.
- Hospital operations lens: more than half of inpatients affected.
- Patient-flow lens: one in three admissions involving a cannula.
- Clinical intent lens: a short 3-5 day therapy window.
Why it matters
The larger the installed base, the more important consistency becomes. A high-use therapy category with short dwell expectations and frequent turnover places pressure on insertion technique, line maintenance, supply choices, and monitoring.
That pressure shows up in the complication data. Phlebitis affects 20-80% of patients who receive PIVCs (NHS Supply Chain SPIVC Clinical Review 2018). Even with a wide range, the message is plain: complications are common enough to remain a major practical concern.
Infusion safety, errors, and device performance
The NIHR study gives a closer look at what happens once infusions are actually underway. It shifts the conversation from broad utilization to observed process quality.
In that study, 240 errors were found in 231 infusions, which was 11.5% of infusions (NIHR Intravenous infusion practices across). It also recorded 1,489 discrepancies in 1,065 infusions, or 53% of infusions (NIHR Intravenous infusion practices across). Those two measures are not identical, but together they show that real-world infusion work contains both frequent deviations and a smaller number of more clearly defined errors.
The study also identified 23 potentially harmful errors, equal to 1.1% of all infusions (NIHR Intravenous infusion practices across). That is a small share compared with the total sample, but it is still a meaningful signal because the outcome category is clinically consequential.
Key takeaways from the NIHR infusion practices study
- 1,326 patients and 2,008 infusions were observed (NIHR Intravenous infusion practices across).
- 240 errors were detected in 231 infusions (NIHR Intravenous infusion practices across).
- 1,489 discrepancies were recorded in 1,065 infusions (NIHR Intravenous infusion practices across).
- 23 potentially harmful errors were identified (NIHR Intravenous infusion practices across).
- 11 of 16 hospitals, or 69%, used smart pumps in at least one clinical area (NIHR Intravenous infusion practices across).
- Only 640 infusions, or 32%, were administered using smart pumps (NIHR Intravenous infusion practices across).
Error profile by infusion type
| Infusion type | Error rate | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| Gravity infusions | 21.5% of 163 infusions | NIHR Intravenous infusion practices across |
| Maintenance fluids | 18.5% | NIHR Intravenous infusion practices across |
| Smart-pump infusions | 10.3% | NIHR Intravenous infusion practices across |
| Other-pump infusions | 10.8% | NIHR Intravenous infusion practices across |
| Critical care infusions | 7.0% | NIHR Intravenous infusion practices across |
| Blood products | 9.1% | NIHR Intravenous infusion practices across |
| Parenteral nutrition | 2.9% | NIHR Intravenous infusion practices across |
The most useful pattern in that table is not one single category. It is the spread. Gravity infusions posted the highest error rate at 21.5% (NIHR Intravenous infusion practices across), while parenteral nutrition was much lower at 2.9% (NIHR Intravenous infusion practices across). That gap suggests that infusion context matters and that not all workflows carry the same risk profile.
Why smart pumps are not the whole story
The data are careful here. Infusions delivered using smart pumps had an error rate of 10.3%, versus 10.8% for other pumps (NIHR Intravenous infusion practices across). That is close enough to show that simply having smart pumps in the environment does not eliminate errors by itself.
A more complete reading is that technology adoption and process discipline need to work together. The hospitals in the study had smart pumps in use, but only about a third of infusions were actually delivered using them. So the operational story is about availability, deployment, and adherence, not just procurement.
Stat highlight: 69% of hospitals used smart pumps in at least one area, but only 32% of infusions were given with smart pumps (NIHR Intravenous infusion practices across).
NHS supply and procurement signals
The procurement side of the dataset gives the strongest evidence that IV therapy is not only a care-delivery issue but also a large purchasing category.
The NHS Supply Chain review says over 300 NHS Trusts use safety peripheral intravenous cannulae and the framework covered more than 200 SPIVC product codes from 8 suppliers (NHS Supply Chain SPIVC Clinical Review 2018). That combination suggests both broad adoption and a supply chain wide enough to support multiple product variants.
The same review says annual spend on SPIVC approached PS25 million in 2016-2017 and SPIVC spend rose by 0.32% in 2017-2018 (NHS Supply Chain SPIVC Clinical Review 2018). Even without a dramatic growth rate, the underlying spend level is significant because it reflects recurrent, high-volume consumption.
Procurement view of the category
- Broad use: over 300 NHS Trusts (NHS Supply Chain SPIVC Clinical Review 2018).
- Large catalog: more than 200 product codes (NHS Supply Chain SPIVC Clinical Review 2018).
- Multi-supplier sourcing: 8 suppliers (NHS Supply Chain SPIVC Clinical Review 2018).
- High annual usage: more than 25 million units sold annually (NHS Supply Chain SPIVC Clinical Review 2018).
- High spend base: approached PS25 million in 2016-2017 (NHS Supply Chain SPIVC Clinical Review 2018).
The key procurement signal is not just that the category is expensive. It is that the category is standardized enough to be managed through frameworks, but still fragmented enough to require oversight across many codes and vendors.
Infusion pump data from FDA, Baxter, ICU Medical, and KORU Medical
The dataset includes several company-level and regulator-level figures that help put infusion therapy into a broader commercial and safety context.
The FDA material identifies recurring safety attention around pumps. The FDA said infusion pumps had 56,000 adverse event reports from 2005 through 2009 and 87 infusion pump recalls from 2005 through 2009 (FDA Infusion Pumps page). Of those recalls, 70 were Class II and 14 were Class I (FDA Infusion Pumps page). The same source lists 6 main infusion pump types: large volume, patient-controlled analgesia, elastomeric, syringe, enteral, and insulin pumps (FDA Infusion Pumps page).
FDA infusion pump snapshot
| Measure | Figure | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| Adverse event reports | 56,000 | FDA Infusion Pumps page |
| Recalls | 87 | FDA Infusion Pumps page |
| Class II recalls | 70 | FDA Infusion Pumps page |
| Class I recalls | 14 | FDA Infusion Pumps page |
| Main pump types | 6 | FDA Infusion Pumps page |
That safety record helps explain why infusion therapy discussions so often include device classification, recall history, and training.
Baxter and infusion therapies
Baxter’s 2024 filing shows the size of one major platform in the space. The company had approximately 38,000 employees worldwide at year-end 2024 and sold products and services in over 100 countries (Baxter 2024 Form 10-K). Its global net sales totaled $10.64 billion in 2024, with U.S. sales of $5.85 billion and international sales of $4.79 billion (Baxter 2024 Form 10-K).
For infusion specifically, Infusion Therapies & Technologies net sales were $4.103 billion in 2024, up from $3.960 billion in 2023 (Baxter 2024 Form 10-K). The filing says growth in Infusion Systems in 2024 was driven by sales of Novum IQ large volume infusion and syringe pumps in the U.S. (Baxter 2024 Form 10-K).
Baxter also reported a net loss attributable to stockholders of $649 million in 2024 and operating cash flows from continuing operations of $819 million (Baxter 2024 Form 10-K). Its 2024 Hurricane Helene disruption had an estimated $110 million adverse impact on sales (Baxter 2024 Form 10-K).
Baxter figures worth noting
- $4.103 billion in Infusion Therapies & Technologies net sales in 2024 (Baxter 2024 Form 10-K).
- $3.960 billion in Infusion Therapies & Technologies net sales in 2023 (Baxter 2024 Form 10-K).
- $110 million estimated adverse sales impact from Hurricane Helene (Baxter 2024 Form 10-K).
- $3.80 billion cash sale of the Kidney Care business completed on January 31, 2025 (Baxter 2024 Form 10-K).
- $3.71 billion of pre-tax cash proceeds received at closing (Baxter 2024 Form 10-K).
- about $3.4 billion estimated net after-tax proceeds (Baxter 2024 Form 10-K).
ICU Medical and KORU Medical
ICU Medical reported $2.382 billion in total revenues in 2024, compared with $2.259 billion in 2023 and $2.280 billion in 2022 (ICU Medical 2024 Form 10-K). Its product mix in 2024 was split across Consumables at 44% of revenue, Infusion Systems at 27%, and Vital Care at 29% (ICU Medical 2024 Form 10-K).
The company also reported $1.0389 billion in Consumables revenue, $652.4 million in Infusion Systems revenue, and $690.7 million in Vital Care revenue for 2024 (ICU Medical 2024 Form 10-K). Gross margin was 34.6% (ICU Medical 2024 Form 10-K), with $638.8 million in SG&A expenses, $88.6 million in R&D expenses, and $59.8 million in restructuring, strategic transaction, and integration expenses (ICU Medical 2024 Form 10-K).
KORU Medical, meanwhile, reported net revenues of $33,646,463 in 2024 and $28,517,666 in 2023 (KORU Medical 2024 Form 10-K). Its gross profit was $21,331,858 in 2024 and $16,708,282 in 2023 (KORU Medical 2024 Form 10-K). The company reported a basic and diluted net loss per share of $(0.13) in 2024 and 45,802,701 weighted average basic shares outstanding (KORU Medical 2024 Form 10-K).
KORU’s product detail is also specific. The FREEDOM System uses a FREEDOM60 Syringe Driver for standard 60/50 mL syringes and a FreedomEdge Syringe Driver for standard 30 mL and 20 mL syringes (KORU Medical 2024 Form 10-K). Its HIgH-Flo Subcutaneous Safety Needle Sets are sold in 26-gauge and 24-gauge sizes (KORU Medical 2024 Form 10-K), and the company says the FREEDOM System has specific FDA clearance for selected intravenously administered antibiotics (KORU Medical 2024 Form 10-K).
What the OPAT survey says about outpatient infusion care
Outpatient infusion care has its own operating rhythm, and the OPAT survey makes that clear.
The survey invited 1,639 Emerging Infections Network members and received 622 responses, a 38% response rate (OPAT survey 2025). Of respondents, 75% reported an active role in OPAT, 59% reported oversight of complex outpatient antimicrobial therapy, 59% reported mandatory ID consultation before OPAT enrollment, and 78% said most patients received OPAT at home (OPAT survey 2025).
OPAT survey snapshot
| Measure | Figure | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| Members invited | 1,639 | OPAT survey 2025 |
| Responses | 622 | OPAT survey 2025 |
| Response rate | 38% | OPAT survey 2025 |
| Active role in OPAT | 75% | OPAT survey 2025 |
| Oversight of complex outpatient antimicrobial therapy | 59% | OPAT survey 2025 |
| Mandatory ID consultation before OPAT enrollment | 59% | OPAT survey 2025 |
| Most patients receiving OPAT at home | 78% | OPAT survey 2025 |
That is a strong signal that infusion therapy is not confined to inpatient wards. It continues into outpatient workflows where governance, consult pathways, and home-based delivery become central.
Why the outpatient data matters
The OPAT figures line up with the broader IV therapy story in two ways:
- Therapy is distributed across care settings, not just hospitals.
- Oversight and policy can be as important as the devices themselves.
When 59% report mandatory ID consultation before OPAT enrollment and 78% say most patients receive OPAT at home (OPAT survey 2025), the implication is that infusion care depends on coordination across clinicians, settings, and follow-up routines.