Scalp acupuncture techniques in children

When our children go to the hospital for an IV, they are usually given a head injection, because the head is not easy to move, and it is easier to fix. The blood vessels on the baby's head are the thickest, so it is best to give the injection directly from the head. However, when a baby is given a head injection, the puncture requires skills. Generally, people cannot complete it without special training. So where is the skill?

1. It is relatively easy to give an infusion to children with obvious blood vessels in the head. Just follow a few steps. First, adjust the liquid level [tighten the regulator and place it 30-40 cm away from the needle of the infusion set to facilitate blood return after successful puncture]. Make sure that the scalp needle stops dripping water [if it is not tightened, dripping water will affect the blood return after puncture]. Hold the needle with the right hand and tighten the skin at the blood vessel with the left hand [according to the course of the blood vessel] to fix the vein. But do not press too hard to avoid the deformation of the vein and temporary closure of the lumen. Move back about 0.3 cm from the clearest point of the vein and insert the needle into the skin at an angle of 5-10 degrees to the scalp. Then press down the needle handle and insert it into the vein in the direction of the vein. The movement should be gentle and steady, not too violent. When the needle enters the vein, the resistance will decrease and there will be a feeling of empty space, and blood can be seen returning. Push the needle in a little further to secure it.

Second, for obese children with dark scalp or edema, it is more difficult to choose blood vessels. To successfully puncture, you need to have confidence. For unclear veins, you need to rely on

Feel it, mainly the feel of the hand. Use the thumb of your right hand to find several large veins on the head. Gently slide your finger on the scalp in a vertical direction to feel the venous groove. Press the vein with your thumb where you feel the venous groove. You don't need to use too much force. You can see that the filled veins are slightly higher than the surrounding skin. The success rate is highest if puncture is performed immediately at this time. Applying slight pressure to visible and small veins can also improve the success rate of puncture. When you cannot find a suitable vein, you can also choose capillaries that look very thin. They look thinner than a needle tip, and when the needle is inserted, the needle stem can also go in. The success rate of puncturing such blood vessels is higher than that of puncturing based on feeling. This method also works for newborns.

3. For venous puncture in premature newborns, the skin on the newborn's head is ruddy, and sometimes the course of the blood vessels cannot be seen at all. At this time, you can use an alcohol swab to gently wipe the child's forehead several times. You can then see the direction of the blood vessels [alcohol has the effect of dilating blood vessels, and at this time the superficial veins in the head dilate and flush blood]. Then puncture immediately. The success rate is very high.

4. It is also difficult for children with severe dehydration because their blood volume is insufficient and blood vessels are not well filled after dehydration, and the elasticity of the cut blood vessels is poor, which brings a lot of trouble to the puncture. Sometimes, the blood vessel has been punctured but the patient is withdrawn because of the lack of blood return and mistakenly believes that the puncture has failed. For this, you must first clearly see the direction of the blood vessel before infusion. If there is a sliding feeling after puncture, a small amount of liquid can be pushed in. If there is no bulge in the skin in front of the needle, it proves that the puncture is successful. [You can also gently pinch the thin tube connected to the needle. If blood returns, it can confirm that the puncture has been successful].