Emergency nurse : the journal of the RCN Accident and Emergency Nursing Association
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Establishing vascular access is vital to maximise resuscitation in critically ill children and adults (LaRocco and Wang 2003), and failure can result in delays in life-saving treatment (Nutbeam and Daniels 2010). The traditional intravenous access method can be difficult to achieve in patients with circulatory collapse (LaRocco and Wang 2003) and failure rates in emergency situations vary between 10 and 40 per cent (Lewis 1986). ⋯ The IO route is described and the indications and contraindications considered. Common insertion sites and devices of IO access are discussed.