Background: Peripheral intravenous catheter-related phlebitis is a common and signi¿ cant problem in clinical practice. This study was carried out to determine the occurrence of peripheral intravenous catheter related phlebitis and to de¿ ne the possible factors associated to its development. Materials and methods: Prospective observational study was carried out on 230 clients who were under ¿ rst time peripheral infusion therapy during two months period: September -October, 2007. Peripheral infusion site was examined for signs of phlebitis once a day. Jackson Standard visual phlebitis scale was used to measure the severity of the phlebitis. SPSS software was used to enter, edit and analyze the data and t-test, chi-square test, binary logistic regression and ROC curve were used to draw the statistical inferences. Results: Phlebitis developed in 136/230 clients (59.1%). It was very mild in most cases. Increased incidence rates of infusion related phlebitis were associated with male sex, small catheter size (20 gauge), insertion at the sites of forearm, IV drug administration and blood product transfusions. The incidence rate of phlebitis rose sharply after 36 hours of catheter insertion. Conclusion: Peripheral Intravenous therapy related phlebitis at KUTH, Dhulikhel Hospital is a signi¿ cant problem. Related risk factors as found in the present study were insertion site (forearm), size of catheter (20G) and dwell time (>= 36 hours). There were higher incident of phlebitis among the client with Intra venous drug administration and especially between ages 21 -40 years. Therefore more attention and care are needed in these areas by the care provider.Key words: Phlebitis, Intravenous Therapy, Catheter, Risk Factors, KUTH, Nepal. I ntravascular devices are common and play very important role in modern day medical practice. One of the devices most used is the peripheral intravenous catheter (PIC) for IV À uids, IV medications, blood product administration, or blood sampling 1 . About 50% of hospital patients require intravenous (IV) access 2 . Although such catheter provides necessary intravascular access, their use puts client at risk for associated complications which may be local and systemic.One of the most common complications of PIC is phlebitis that may occur in up to75% of hospitalized patients 3 . It remains a signi¿ cant problem in clinical practice and causes patient discomfort, catheter replacement, prolong hospital stay and health care cost. Many factors have been implicated in the genesis of phlebitis namely (1) chemical factors such as irritant drugs and À uids, (2) mechanical factors: such as catheter material, size of cannula, site of insertion, duration of cannulation (dwell time) 4 etc. Many cases of PICs related phlebitis has been noted at KUTH, Dhulikhel Hospital, Kathmandu University Teaching Hospital. A prospective observational study was conducted to assess the magnitude of the problem as well as to shed some light on possible contributing factors. Awareness of such factors may help to ...