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Here's the story:
But trips to the hospital have gotten a little easier for Jacob since his nurses started using the new Zingo. Jacob said, "It's pretty cool."The Zingo zaps a quarter size area of the skin instantly with the numbing agent-lidocaine-Jacob said,"It really doesn't feel that much at all. It's just you push it in and there's a big pop and then you're whole arm is almost numb."In the past, Jacob sometimes had the option of using a numbing cream-that took almost an hour to start working. And when he was admitted through the emergency room, he didn't have an hour to wait.
One nurse (Kellie) said "To be honest, the younger children, just pinning them down is traumatic. So you can only imagine the pain involved with placing their I.V. or drawing their labs. It's pretty hard for the child and for the parent to watch." The pediatric nurses and the patients are thrilled with how well the Zingo works. Another nurse (Corrie) said, "They flinch a little when you're holding them still, but they don't flinch at all when the needle goes in- so it's much easier." They hope the device makes a visit to the hospital a little more positive and not so scary.
The Zingo keeps the skin numb for about 10 minutes. There is no additional cost to use it.
-NewsAnchorMom Jen
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2 comments:
It should be noted, that Zingo (lidocaine)and similar local anesthetics are vasoconstrictors and may, in fact, make it more difficult for medical staff to find a vein. EMLA and similar numbing creams also constrict veins.
What we've found that works best is asking for medical staff who are good at hitting those pediatric veins. We employ a "two sticks you're out" rule...any one person gets two tries at hitting a vein and then another medical professional is asked for. We've found that pediatric nurses, neo-natal nurses, oncology nurses, nurse anesthetists, medical laboratory techs/phlebotomists in children's hospitals often have wonderful technique when it comes to finding veins.
Don't be afraid to ask for an new pair of hands if your child is a tough stick.
I know Methodist also has the Vein Viewer. It highlights the veins for pediatric patients-kind of like a black light. It works great for kids who come in dehydrated. They use the Vein Viewer in conjunction with the Zingo. Hopefully the combo does the trick!
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