Rural EMS en route IV insertion improves IV insertion success rates and EMS scene time

Abstract Background Emergency medical service (EMS) personnel are trained to insert intravenous (IV) lines at trauma scenes if the time for insertion does not prolong scene time. However, EMS providers continue to insert IV lines on scene. Methods A rural EMS provider provided trauma patient EMS IV insertion data for a 1-year period. No IV lines were inserted en route during this period. During the following 1-year period, a prospective trauma patient study protocol was instituted in which all IV insertions were attempted while en route to the emergency room. Results Three hundred six trauma patients had IV attempts on scene, and 341 trauma patients had IV insertion attempts en route. The average EMS on-scene time with IV insertions on scene was 19.8 minutes (IV insertion success, 79%) compared with 13.9 minutes (IV insertion success, 93%) on-scene time with IV insertions en route. Conclusions EMS IV insertion en route significantly decreases on-scene time and improves IV insertion success rates.