IO Access in Emergency Medicine

In emergency medical situations — when IV access is often difficult or time consuming — EZ-IO® provides safe, simple, and rapid vascular access through the intraosseous space. Since time is especially critical in emergency settings, EZ-IO can be used to establish stable and secure vascular access in less than 10 seconds — for both alert and unconscious children and adults. Once established, the EZ-IO line remains stable during transport and can be used to deliver drugs, fluids, or blood products required in the patient’s treatment.

IO access has now become the preferred method of establishing vascular access for patients experiencing cardiac arrest, major trauma, airway compromise, along with patients who have poor peripheral vasculature such as diabetics, dialysis patients, burn victims, IV drug users, obese patients, dehydrated patients, and others. In fact, many EMS services and Hospitals are now using EZ-IO as their first line solution for vascular access in both adult and pediatric cardiac arrest victims, enabling administration of lifesaving drugs much earlier than previously possible with traditional peripheral IV placement.

In alert patients, the patented EZ-IO design reduces the pain of insertion. After insertion a slow injection of 2% lidocaine can effectively block pressure sensors in the intraosseous space significantly reducing the pain associated with IO infusion.