Description:
Summary
Intravenous (IV) lines are placed over 200 million times per year, but difficulties occur in securing proper placement in a large percentage of cases, approximately 20-30%. Oregon Health & Science University researchers have developed a novel device to allow for easier execution of ultrasound-guided IV placement.
Technology Overview
IV lines are difficult to place in a growing patient population, including those with obesity and vein damage due to IV drug use, chronic renal disease, or chemotherapy. Patients with difficult access experience delays in lab tests and pain medications and also spend an average of 70 minutes longer in the ED. IVs are difficult when veins are hard to identify by sight or touch, and ultrasound machines are often used to assist with vein localization and IV placement. However, ultrasound-guided IV insertion is a complex psychomotor task that involves intense hand-screen-eye coordination, making it difficult to learn and perform. Dr. Matthew Hansen and colleagues have developed a novel device to secure the ultrasound probe to the patient allowing the provider to move the probe easily and requiring less dexterity than holding the probe free hand. This device has the opportunity to decrease the coordination needed for the provider to place difficult IV lines. This device lowers the difficulty of the procedure, allowing more staff members to perform it successfully. Advantages for this device include:
- Reduced time to vascular access and shorter ED/clinic length-of-stay for patients with challenging veins.
- Fewer pokes for patients with challenging veins and increased patient satisfaction.
- Increased billing for ultrasound-guided IV lines (CPT 76937).
- Improved rates of IV placement and confidence in performing the procedure, as demonstrated by initial prototype testing with nursing students.
- Single-use design, to reduce the cost associated with sterilization.
- Durability to typical drop stresses in initial prototype testing.
- Low cost to produce at estimates of roughly $6 per device.
Overall, this device is simple and easy to use and could reduce the learning curve for ultrasound-guided IV placement, potentially increasing the utility of this procedure and reducing time to IV access.
Licensing Opportunity
This technology is available for licensing.