Abstract
This study aimed to determine whether ultrasound (US) guidance with an originally developed probe holder improved the success rate of peripheral intravenous (IV) access among clinical nurses compared to the standard techniques. After confirming that clinical nurses could perform simulated IV access for difficult veins using US guidance with the probe holder, we examined the difference in success rates between US-guided IV (USGIV) access with probe holder and the standard method in a single-case alternate-treatment design. Five nurses who worked in a general hospital participated. For patients without visible veins, they performed 5 standard IV accesses in the baseline phase and also underwent 9 sessions that included two methods per session. The primary outcome was the overall and first-attempt success rate of each IV access. The randomization test revealed that the possibility of success of USGIV access was significantly higher than that of the standard method in 2 out of 5 nurses. Logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratio was 3.48 (95% confidence interval: 1.33-9.14) and USGIV access was higher than by the standard method. These results suggest that the USGIV access with the probe holder was superior to the standard method in Japanese clinical settings.
