Ultrasound-Guided Peripheral Intravenous Access

Intravenous access is often painful for patients and can take multiple attempts before successful cannulation occurs with a blind stick. An alternative that can produce much greater patient outcomes and satisfaction is the use of ultrasound for peripheral venous access. The purpose of this project is to implement a hospital policy that requires the use of ultrasound to establish intravenous access after two unsuccessful sticks. Evidence found that ultrasonographicguidance improves the success rate of peripheral intravenous placement, with lower rates of complications, including arterial puncture, hematoma, needle contact with peripheral nerves and paresthesias, infiltration, and infection. In addition, performing an ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous access may result in a shorter time to intravenous access compared with the time required for a central venous catheter placement, which could lead to faster diagnosis and treatment and decreased patient throughput time. In conclusion, the use of ultrasound for peripheral intravenous access is suggested because it is more successful than traditional techniques. Ultrasound-guided IV access required less time, decreased the number of percutaneous punctures, and improves patient satisfaction in those who have challenging intravenous access