What is your favorite brand of IV catheter?

[agilemidwife]

If you could stock your unit which would you choose? They don't even have to be safety. What is the best performing one, in your opinion? Prices range from $1 to $7 per unit. Seriously? Is a Protectiv that much better than a Terumo Superflo? So if you had to stock your own, what would you buy?

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

B Braun Introcan 20g 1.75" Safety IV. Best IV catheter I've ever used and perfectly visible on ultrasound.

My last ER switched to these, I suspect because they were cheaper (Army/government). I found them to be a bit flimsy, but like most IV catheters, you get used to them. I was "raised" on a combo of Jelco ProtectIV (where I was a paramedic) and Insyte Autoguard (where I was an ED tech, then nurse). I preferred the Jelcos forever until I worked in an ED that used the Autoguard with blood control technology. Virtually impossible to make a mess!