Question:medium
In pediatric advanced life support, intraosseous access for drug and fluid administration is recommended for a pediatric age of
In pediatric advanced life support, intraosseous access for drug and fluid administration is recommended for a pediatric age of
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Current PALS guidance drops the old age ceiling; IO access is used at any age when IV access is not quick.
Updated On: Jul 8, 2026
- Less than 1 year
- Less than 5 years
- Less than 6 years
- Any age
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The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Start from why IO access exists.
IO access is a backup plan. When a sick or injured child needs urgent drugs or fluids and a vein cannot be found fast, a needle goes into the bone marrow instead, since the marrow connects to the venous system.
Step 2: Ask what decides whether IO can be used, age or urgency.
Modern teaching frames the decision around time and difficulty of finding a vein, not the child's age. If two tries or about 90 seconds pass without IV access in an emergency, IO access should be used.
Step 3: Check the age question directly.
Because the decision is time based rather than age based, IO access is considered appropriate across the whole age range, from infants to older children and even adults, using an insertion site suited to the size of the patient.
Step 4: Compare with the age-limited choices.
Options that cap IO use at under 1, under 5, or under 6 years all impose a ceiling that current resuscitation science does not support.
Step 5: Conclude.
Present-day PALS teaching supports IO access at any age when IV access is not quick to get.
\[ \boxed{\text{Any age}} \]
IO access is a backup plan. When a sick or injured child needs urgent drugs or fluids and a vein cannot be found fast, a needle goes into the bone marrow instead, since the marrow connects to the venous system.
Step 2: Ask what decides whether IO can be used, age or urgency.
Modern teaching frames the decision around time and difficulty of finding a vein, not the child's age. If two tries or about 90 seconds pass without IV access in an emergency, IO access should be used.
Step 3: Check the age question directly.
Because the decision is time based rather than age based, IO access is considered appropriate across the whole age range, from infants to older children and even adults, using an insertion site suited to the size of the patient.
Step 4: Compare with the age-limited choices.
Options that cap IO use at under 1, under 5, or under 6 years all impose a ceiling that current resuscitation science does not support.
Step 5: Conclude.
Present-day PALS teaching supports IO access at any age when IV access is not quick to get.
\[ \boxed{\text{Any age}} \]
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