When faced with a healthcare emergency situation, you must put your trust in the medical professionals caring for you. If you are in need of medicine, blood or any other fluid that must be administered intravenously, it is critical that the medical professional can do so in a timely manner. However, emergency situations often warrant quick vascular access that is not always possible to attain. With Vidacare's EZ-IO Intraosseous Infusion System, vascular access to an adult or pediatric patient can be achieved safely in as little as 10 seconds.
The EZ-IO is a small handheld drill that bores into a patient's leg, or other FDA approved site, in order to rapidly establish a stable and secure line for the delivery of fluids, medications and blood products to the vascular system. The EZ-IO has revolutionized vascular access to patients. This compact, lithium battery-powered tool can replace the need to use central lines in emergency situations. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are more than 5 million central lines placed in patients annually. Unfortunately, there is a higher rate of infection with the placement of central lines when used in an emergency situation. Not only do these infections increase the mortality rates of patients, they also increase the cost of the patient's medical treatment. Hospital quality control and performance standards regulatory bodies, including The Joint Commission, encourage hospitals to adopt measures to reduce catheter-related infections in patients. As a result, the use of central lines is greatly restricted – yet quick vascular access is still necessary.
When a person has endured any sort of trauma, there may be little time to access a vein in order to get them the treatment that they need. They may also be suffering from a condition such as dehydration, diabetes or cancer where their veins are compromised, thereby making it difficult – if not impossible – to gain vascular access. Vidacare reports that their life-saving EZ-IO results in few complications and that the drug delivery is equivalent to a central line, with far less complications.
The FDA has cleared this small, handheld device for insertion sites in the leg and shoulder. The sites include the proximal tibial, distal tibial and the proximal humerus. While it may sound a little gruesome to drill into someone's body, it actually doesn't cause as much discomfort as one would think. While individual pain levels can be difficult to measure, Vidacare reports that the average adult pain score upon insertion of the EZ-IO's patented needle – without the use of local anesthesia – is 2.5 on a scale of 0 to 10. Once in place, the IO catheter is painless.
San Antonio, Texas-based Vidacare was founded in 2001. They develop, manufacture and market advanced intraosseous access technology for multiple diagnostic, monitoring and therapeutic applications. For more information on the EZ-IO, visit www.vidacare.com.
