Journal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
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Clinical Trial
Peripherally inserted central catheter placement with the sonic flashlight: initial clinical trial by nurses.
We describe a case series constituting the first clinical trial by intravenous (IV) team nurses using the sonic flashlight (SF) for ultrasound guidance of peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) placement. ⋯ We have shown that the SF is a safe and effective device for guidance of PICC placement in the hands of experienced IV team nurses. The advantage of placing the ultrasound image at its actual location must be balanced against the relatively small scale of the SF image.