Air medical journal
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Trauma accounts for a significant portion of overall mortality globally. Hemorrhage is the second major cause of mortality in the prehospital environment. Air medical retrieval services throughout the world have been developed to help improve the outcomes of patients suffering from a broad range of medical conditions, including trauma. ⋯ However, studies have suggested that IO access cannot reach acceptable rates for massive transfusion. We review the subject to find the answer of whether IO access should be performed by air medical teams in the prehospital setting, or would central venous (CVC) access be more appropriate? We decided to assess the literature for capacity of IO access to meet resuscitation requirements in the prehospital management of trauma. We also decided to compare the insertion and complication characteristics of IO and CVC access.