Delta Ambulance First in Maine to add lifesaving technique

July 1, 2006

Augusta-Waterville

Millions of Americans suffer life-threatening medical emergencies each year. Standard treatment requires administering IV (intravenous) drugs and fluids to these patients.

Traditional IV access is challenging or impossible in many seriously injured victims because the peripheral veins collapse when patients go into shock. As a result, thousands of patients die needlessly nationwide.

The medical community has long recognized the bone marrow or intraosseous space acts as a non-collapsible vein, through which any drug or fluid can be rapidly and safely administered. Currently, intraosseous access is used for emergency venous access in small children, whose bones are soft enough to permit manual insertion of intraosseous needles.

Because adult bones are much harder than the bones of children, a new needle to gain access in adults had to be developed.

EZ-IO, developed at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, is the world's first battery-powered intraosseous (IO) access device that penetrates the IO space by drilling rapidly through the bone with a hollow needle. In cases such as shock, trauma or cardiac arrest, when traditional intravenous (IV) access is difficult or impossible, EZ-IO provides rapid and reliable vascular access for the administration of life-saving drugs or fluids. Paramedics no longer have to worry about time consuming and often exasperating IV access and can now concentrate more on the important aspects of airway management, arrhythmias, fluid resuscitation, wound management and scene time.

EZ-IO Drill

Additionally, the American Heart Association recently announced revised guidelines for Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) that now recommend IO as the first alternative to IV in adult cardiac arrest patients. For the first time in ACLS history, intraosseous vascular access for adults has been given Class IIa status, thereby recommending use of IO infusion as the alternative of choice and confirming the scientific validity and safety of the IO route. This important change declares IO access a safe and effective route for accessing the central vascular system.

Delta Ambulance, a not-for-profit service organization, is the First Emergency Medical Service (EMS) provider in Maine to initiate Adult Intraosseous Infusion and provides professional 9-1-1 emergency medical services to 18 communities in Central Maine.