An intraosseous blood transfusion in a critically ill child

An intraosseous infusion (IO) is a safe and simple method to administer fluid in an emergency situation and can be used to gain rapid vascular access in a critically ill child. Fluids and drugs can be infused as well as blood boluses, but very few cases describe the infusion of blood products. Case...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: E. Chansa, K. Hansen, B. Gustafsson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2014-06-01
Series:African Journal of Emergency Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211419X13000724
Description
Summary:An intraosseous infusion (IO) is a safe and simple method to administer fluid in an emergency situation and can be used to gain rapid vascular access in a critically ill child. Fluids and drugs can be infused as well as blood boluses, but very few cases describe the infusion of blood products. Case Report: In this case study we report of a successful transfusion of fluid and blood by IO to a 31 months old child, who had suffered severe epistaxis for 12 hours. The child was unconscious at time of admission and the hemoglobin (Hb) level was measured to 3.6 g/dl. Through an IO in the proximal tibia, 300 ml of fluid was first infused, followed by 200 ml of blood. Discussion: We conclude that IO should be placed without delay when venous access is not rapidly obtained.
ISSN:2211-419X