Doppler guided IV placement

Specialties Critical

Published

Has anyone used a handheld Doppler (like the one used in pulse checks, etc) as a guide for IV placement? I heard another nurse talk about it and found a 1995 article by Whiteley et al, that validates this concept.

I’m interested in piloting this skill on my unit, since it appears effective and possibly more accessible than ultrasound guided IV placement. Any thoughts on this?

Doppler.pdf

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Specializes in Critical Care.

At first I thought you were crazy but then I found the study. I'm kind of curious. Next shift if I have some time I might play around with this idea.

I found a cheap Chinese knockoff red light vein finder online that I used to use that worked great but my current unit has an ultrasound so that's how I place difficult IV's now. 

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You can stand up in a canoe, but why would you want to? In the end, this type of thing just ends up with multiple sticks, needless pain and distress and finally someone putting an IV in with u/s.

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