References
Spotlight on Research
The use of intraosseous needles in the management of paediatric cardiac arrest has increased rapidly with high rates of success reported in the literature. However, a study published in December 2019 reported much higher rates of misplacement in paediatric cadavers. This study applied post-mortem computed tomography on 38 paediatric cadavers where intraosseous needle (ION) access had been gained. Cadavers were divided into two categories: <1 year of age (infant) and >1 year of age (child). Misplacement of ION was only recorded if the signs of misplacement were clear so this may underestimate the total number.
On the 22 infant cadavers, 34 ION attempts had been made with malposition of at least one ION visible in 14 subjects (64%). Seven of those 14 (32%) had no correctly placed ION and 16 of the 34 ION devices (47%) were in malposition. In the 16 child cadavers, 23 ION attempts were found with at least one malpositioned in 50% of those cadavers. Three (19%) had no correctly placed ION. Most of these ION placements were undertaken in the out-of-hospital environment.
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