The Use of Multiple Intraosseous Catheters in Combat Casualty Resuscitation

During the current military engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan, establishing intravenous (IV) access for resuscitation of critically injured casualties remains a persistent challenge. Intraosseous (IO) access has emerged as a viable alternative in resuscitation. In this case report, a 19 year-old male soldier was severely wounded by a roadside bomb in Iraq. Given the heavy initial blood loss, anatomic location of the injuries and gross wound contamination, peripheral IV access could not be established. Instead, multiple IO catheters were used to initiate fluid resuscitation prior to transfer to a combat support hospital. To our knowledge, this is the first report of such extensive usage of IO catheters. Multiple IO catheters can be placed rapidly and safely and may help solve the challenge of establishing vascular access for resuscitation of critically injured casualties.