Infant Intraosseous Infusion

DeBoer, Scott RN, MSN, CEN, CCRN, CFRN
Russell, Terri RNC, MS, NNP
Seaver, Michael RN, BA
Vardi, Amir MD

Accepted for publication March 2007. Revised May 2007.

About the Authors

Scott DeBoer is a flight nurse for the University of Chicago Hospitals, a transport nurse for Superior Ambulance Service, and the founder of Peds-R-Us Medical Education (www.Peds-R-Us.com).

Terri Russell is the coordinator of the neonatal nurse practitioner program at Rush College of Nursing in Chicago.

Michael Seaver is a senior consultant for ACS HealthCare Solutions in Dearborn, Michigan.

Dr. Amir Vardi is the ECMO program director and senior physician in the Department of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine of Safra Children's Hospital, Tel Hashomer, Israel.

For further information, please contact: Scott DeBoer, RN, MSN, CEN, CCRN, CFRN Peds-R-Us Medical Education PO Box 601 Dyer, IN 46311 E-mail: [email protected]

Neonatal Network 27(1):p 25-32, January-February 2008.

Neonatal health care providers are fortunate that the umbilical cord generally provides easy intravenous (IV) access for newborn patients. Outside of the immediate newborn period, however, it may be impossible to obtain peripheral or umbilical IV access in critically ill newborns. Intraosseous (IO) infusion is not widely used in the neonatal population, but is a viable option when IV access cannot be established quickly. This article examines IO infusion devices and placement sites and addresses assessment and care of the infant receiving IO fluids and medications.