Related Experiment Videos
Prehospital intravenous access in children
1Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Buffalo, NY.
Annals of Emergency Medicine
|December 1, 1992
Summary
Paramedics achieved an 84% success rate for intravenous (IV) access in children. However, younger children (<6 years) requiring IV access were less likely to receive it in the prehospital setting.
Area of Science:
- Emergency medicine
- Pediatric critical care
- Prehospital care
Background:
- Establishing intravenous (IV) access is crucial for administering medications and fluids in pediatric emergencies.
- Paramedic systems aim to provide advanced medical care in prehospital settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of a unified metropolitan paramedic system in establishing IV access in pediatric patients.
- To identify factors influencing IV access success rates in children.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective, descriptive clinical study of 513 pediatric patients transported by paramedics in a Canadian metropolitan area.
- Analysis of indications for IV access, success rates, and time to access.
- Development and retrospective application of criteria for IV line placement.
Main Results:
- Paramedics achieved an overall IV line placement success rate of 84% among attempted cases.
- Of 153 children meeting criteria for IV access, 68% had successful placement.
- Children younger than 6 years had significantly lower IV success rates (49%) compared to older children (75%).
Conclusions:
- Paramedic IV access success rates in children are high overall but suboptimal for those under 6 years.
- Half of young children requiring IV access did not receive it prehospital.
- Discouraging multiple IV attempts is recommended to avoid prolonged transport times.