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Intraosseous |
Intraosseous infusion is the process of injection directly into the marrow of the bone. The needle is injected through the bone's hard cortex and into the soft marrow interior. Often the antero-medial aspect of the tibia is used as it lies just under the skin and can easily be palpated and located. Anterior aspect of the femur and the superior iliac crest are other sites that can be used.
This route of fluid and medication administration is an alternate one to the preferred intravascular route when the latter can't be established in a timely manner especially during pediatric emergencies. When intravascular access cannot be obtained in pediatric emergencies, intraosseous access is usually the next approach. It can be maintained for 24-48 hours, after which another route of access should be obtained. Intraosseous access is used less frequently in adult cases due to greater difficulty penetrating denser adult bone. 1
Although intravascular access is still the preferred method for medication delivery in the prehospital area, advances in IO access (such as the F.A.S.T.1 and the EZ-IO 2 system) for adults has caused many systems to re-think their preferred secondary access route. In Massachusetts, for example, IO is now a preferred administration over ET (endotracheal) drug administration. Furthermore, the wider range of medications that can be introduced via IO has caused adult IO systems (most of which use a mechanical or powered adjunct to place the catheter) to become more common across the United States in the prehospital setting.
This American Heart Association guideline cited two randomized controlled trials, one of 60 children3 and one of electively cannulated hematology/oncology patients.4 In addition, uncontrolled studies have been performed56, one of which reported 72% to 87% rates of successful insertion.5
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