Intravenous access: a comparison of two methods.

The reliability in providing a continued venous route to the circulation is compared between a winged needle (Abbott "Butterfly--23 INT") and a plastic catheter (Jelco Teflon "Catheter Placement Unit", 22 gauge). The catheter remained within the vein in all cases and had a much lower incidence of total obstruction during the study period. Where an intravenous infusion is not in place, a plastic catheter provides a more reliable access route to the circulation than does a winged needle.