Sonosite’s New AI-Powered Feature for Peripheral IV Procedures
If you work in emergency rooms, intensive care units, or operating theaters, you know all too well that establishing a peripheral line is not always easy. Between the regional climate, dehydrated patients, or those with Difficult Intravenous Access (DIVA), what should be a routine procedure can often turn into a high-stress moment—both for you and the patient.
At Sonosite, we understand these daily challenges in our healthcare systems, where every minute counts and protecting medical supplies is vital. That is why we are excited to introduce PIV Assist, a new feature powered by Artificial Intelligence, designed to be your ultimate ally when planning vascular access at the point of care (POCUS).
Available for the Sonosite LX, Sonosite PX, Sonosite ST,and Sonosite MT systems, PIV Assist transforms the way you evaluate the patient’s vascular anatomy before making the puncture.
How PIV Assist Makes Your Shift Easier and Safer
Forget second-guessing whether you are looking at a collapsed vein or an artery under pressure. This tool works in real-time to ease your cognitive workload:
- Hassle-Free Color Identification: The system automatically differentiates vessels on your screen. It highlights arteries in a bright warning red and flags potential candidate veins so you can plan your trajectory with absolute confidence.
- No More Guesswork on Vessel Size: PIV Assist analyzes the actual size of the vein and instantly calculates the catheter-to-vein ratio (CVR). The system then suggests the ideal maximum catheter gauge for that specific vessel, drastically reducing phlebitis rates and mid-term IV failure.
- Precise Depth Calculation: It shows you exactly how far below the skin the center of the vein sits, allowing you to gauge the perfect insertion angle right from the first attempt.
Designed to Fit Seamlessly into Your Daily Routine (Without the Extra Hassle)
PIV Assist isn’t here to change the way you work—it’s here to make your life easier. This tool acts as your guide: it helps you spot the most viable veins and analyzes their size on the fly to suggest the ideal maximum catheter gauge based on the catheter-to-vein ratio (CVR). By automatically telling veins and arteries apart in real-time during your very first pre-scan, PIV Assist takes the guesswork out of vascular access planning. The goal is to save you time and give you the ultimate confidence to succeed on the first attempt, showing you all the critical information visually and intuitively right there at the patient’s bedside.
The Bottom Line
With PIV Assist, FUJIFILM Sonosite takes another step forward in ultrasound innovation, putting AI-powered tools in your hands that genuinely make a difference in peripheral IV procedures. This advancement simply reflects what we have always cared about: working hand-in-hand with healthcare providers to deliver better patient care by bringing together cutting-edge technology and a human touch.
