Who Gets an US-Guided IV?

(This was first published on blog.5minsono.com on May 11, 2017)

Next on my US-guided IV series: Who gets an IV? (Spoiler alert, this procedure isn’t for all patients).

The patients who should be getting USGIVs should be the following:

  • At least 2 staff members have tried 3 times (total) to get IV using standard techniques.
  • You know they’re a difficult stick and you have time
  • You’re patient isn’t coding (You should be placing the IO)

  1. Hey Jacob,
    Also check out the pub below that states patients with easy IV access actually take longer and have less 1st & 2nd attempt success rates with ultrasound guided technique.

    1. McCarthy ML et al. Ultrasonography Versus Landmark for Peripheral Intravenous Cannulation: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Ann Emerg Med 2015. [epub ahead of print] PMID: 26475248

    1. Thats a great point! I will add it to this lecture at some point. This is exactly what I’m talking about… USGIV’s should not be performed in pts who can get access another way. For those judged to be difficult sticks, first pass success was 81.6% vs 35.1% with landmark.

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