Ultrasound Useful In Line Placement In Children

Kids are precious.  When they get sick; really sick we need access for intravenous medications.  I teach line access to pediatricians around the globe.  I was recently in Grand Rapids MI to teach the wonderful doctors there at Helen DuVois how to find a vein on a child.  It is often a life or death decision.  Sure, we can always put in an IO line.  But a vein is preferable.  Great to be back online BTW.








The procedure is the insertion of a central venous catheter, a type of intravenous line that gives direct access to the largest vein in the body. Insertion requires aiming a needle deep into the body to puncture the vein and create a pathway for the catheter to be threaded inside. If placed improperly, the needle can cause complications. Until now, pediatric surgeons have usually relied solely on their knowledge of anatomy to aim the needle in the right place, in spite of strong evidence from adult medicine showing that watching the needle's progress with ultrasound imaging is a faster and safer method than using only anatomical landmarks to guide insertion.

By adopting a technique that's already widely used in adult medicine, pediatric surgeons could save many children from complications associated with a common but risky hospital procedure. That's the conclusion of a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.


Thanks to Stanford and Sonoworld

http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2013/march/dutta.html