I was wondering if anyone has used this IV catheter. It is a 2.25" catheter designed to access vessels previously considered too deep for regular peripheral IV catheter placement. It is a guidewire tecnology that is supposed to be able to navigate steep insertion angles with or without US for PIV placement. The literature I have come across sounds interesting, however I would like to hear from someone who has actually tried this product and hear the pros & cons.
Hi, I have used the Accucath standard many times and found that they definitely have a valuable place in the arsenal of products needed for vascular access. I have recently used the 2.25 inch catheter, but have only had access to the 18ga. The product works like a charm, easy to handle, easy to deploy the guide wire and prevents damage to the vessel wall upon catheter advancement because the guide wire extends beyond the length of the catheter portion. The new catheters have a blood control application that acts like a valve, but only lasts about 5 seconds, long enough to connect to cap/extension. I have tried other similar devices (for venous use) with an integrated guide wire, but found them to be more complicated or cumbersome during insertion. I mostly use this with ultrasound and find that the tip and guide wire illuminate very well. Having the guide wire can greatly help those who are having issues of inadvertently damaging the intima causing the insertion site to fail after a short period of time. The longer length is a much needed asset as catheters placed in deeper veins need to straighten out along the vein axis to prevent erosion from high pressure pumps or injectors aiming towards the vessel wall. I would prefer to have the 20ga 2.25 catheter available to use as it may be less painful of a stick than the 18 ga but my current employer's purchasing agent does not share the same value.
Bradford A. Dungan
We have also tried some of the other products and I agree, very cumbersome to handle. Have you had any issues with the needle shearing the catheter as in some of the midline catheters? What lenth of dwell time have you had with these catheters? We are looking for other options for US placed PIV's.
psb55
We are using them now for ultrasound guided IV starts because of their length. They are very easy to insert. I have used a few without ultrasound and have not (very small sample) seen an improvement in dwell time if the patient's veins were not tolerating the infusate prior (Rocephin,Vanco).
Genine Schwinge, ANP-BC,PNP