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Protocols for intraosseous access in the prehospital setting are commonplace for critical pediatric patients, but not for adults. Researchers evaluated two intraosseous devices — the sternally inserted F.A.S.T.1 IO Infusion System (FAST) and the tibially inserted EZ-IO (EASY) — in adult patients for whom standard intravenous access could not be obtained. In two sequential trials, 124 prehospital providers (basic emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and nurses) were trained to use the FAST device and 389 were subsequently trained to use the EASY device. Each device was used in 89 patients.
The rate of successful insertion was significantly higher with the EASY device than with the FAST device (87% vs. 72%). Providers who used the EASY d…