Current Status of Intraosseous Infusion Technique Use at Emergency Departments in Korea

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Gaining vascular access is difficult and time-consuming in critically ill children, so nowdays, in many countries, intraosseous vascular access is frequently used for rapid vascular access in critically ill children. Its pharmacokinetics is close to that of the peripheral intravenous route, but its infusion flow rate is faster. The purpose of this study was to determine how widely the intraosseous infusion technique was being used in Korean emergency departments. METHODS: We telephoned forty-two (42) randomly selected university-affiliated hospitals. We asked physicians if they use the intraosseous infusion technique. Responders were emergency and pediatric residents and emergency faculty. If they responded that they were not using the intraosseous infusion technique, we asked the reason. Also, we asked about their experiences with the intraosseous infusion technique. RESULTS: Forty-two (42) hospitals were enrolled in this study. No hospital used the intraosseous infusion technique on a regular basis. However, 8 hospitals used the intraosseous infusion technique occasionally. None of the responders had experience with the intraosseous infusion technique. CONCLUSION: The intraosseous infusion technique is currently underrepresented at emergency departments in Korea.