BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a leading global medical technology company based in the US, has launched a new, easy-to-use advanced ultrasound device with a specialized probe designed to provide clinicians with optimal IV placement.

The BD Prevue II System addresses an unmet need in IV access through real-time needle depth markers. The system features the BD Cue Needle Tracking System, offering a high-quality ultrasound image of the needle trajectory, and is compatible with BD Cue Needle Tracking-enabled catheters. 

Simulated studies show that pairing a needle-tracking system with ultrasound guidance may help reduce the number of attempts and time to successful vessel access which, according to the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, may make vascular access procedures safer and easier for clinicians and patients.

More than 90 percent of hospitalised patients receive IV therapy through a peripheral IV catheter, representing hundreds of millions of patients a year. However, nearly two-thirds of these patients have vessels that are difficult to visualise and access, often resulting in additional needlesticks, vessel damage and infiltration into the surrounding tissue. 

The availability of the BD Prevue II System further drives the BD "One-Stick Hospital Stay" vision to help reduce unnecessary needlesticks by choosing the right vascular access device and placing it successfully the first time.