A Review Evaluating Intravascular Access for High Volume Resuscitation: Can You Keep Up?

Abstract

Anesthetists and anesthesiologists are frequently in the unique position of administering high-volume resuscitation in the setting of hemorrhage, hypovolemia, or vasodilatory shock.  The ability to rapidly infuse intravenous (IV) fluid solutions differs vastly for different types and sizes of IV access. In patients that may require rapid large volume resuscitation, it is critical to understand the capacity of existing IV devices.  Selecting the most appropriate IV access for patients can be paramount in preventing hypotension, end organ dysfunction, and even death. This article objectively reviews and compares the flow rates of commonly used central and peripheral intravenous devices to demonstrate the influence of catheter length and radius.