Use of Intraosseous Access in the Pediatric Emergency Department: A Single Center Experience

Objective: We aimed to compare the efficacy of a battery-powered drill [EZ-intraosseous (IO)] with that of 18-gauge intravenous cannula (18GIVC) needle used for IO access in infants. Method: This prospective observational study was conducted in the pediatric emergency department between April 1, 2019, and November 3, 2020. Since limited number of EZ-IO needles were available, the first IO accesses were made with 18GIVC needles in all infants. In cases where IO access with 18GIVC failed at the first attempt, the second attempt was made with EZ-IO drill. The cases were divided into two groups: Group 1 (patients with IO access with 18GIVC at first successful attempt) and Group 2 (patients with IO access with EZ-IO drill at the second successful attempt). The Mann Whitney U test and Fisher’s exact or chi-square tests were used for statistical analysis, with level of statistical significance set at p