Emergency Department
Even in the emergency department, vascular access is often difficult, especially with patients in shock. When nurses are unable to establish IV access they often turn to the Emergency Medicine specialist to insert a central line in the subclavian or the femoral vein. While ED doctors are able to perform this invasive procedure with considerable skill, it is often time consuming and requires monitoring and post-insertion x-rays. According to the FDA pneumothorax, hemothorax, hydrothorax, arterial canulation or damage, nerve damage and infections that may result from central lines cause considerable morbidity and mortality. The complication rates of central lines are a concern to the FDA and emergency physicians, not to mention the solution is expensive and plagued with an infection rate of nine percent, which on the average adds over $2000 in cost per line due to complications.
The EZ-IOŽ product system, the world's first battery-powered IO access device, provides immediate vascular access for drugs or fluids by penetrating to the bone marrow with a beveled, hollow drill tipped needle, thus eliminating the need for a central line in most patients. The EZ-IOŽ makes it simple for nurses or ED doctors to establish IO access in patients of all ages and weights.
The American Heart Association recently announced revised guidelines for Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) that now recommend IO as the first alternative to IV in adult cardiac arrest patients. For the first time in ACLS history, intraosseous vascular access for adults has been given Class IIa status, thereby recommending use of IO infusion as the alternative of choice and confirming the scientific validity and safety of the IO route. This important change declares IO access a safe and effective route for accessing the central vascular system. Additionally, the guidelines state that IO is now the standard of care for cardiac arrest patients and support the theory that IO access is similar to central line access and carries less risk of complications for emergency medical physicians.
