Versus any other point on your arm.
In: Biology
Most people don’t have as much muscle and subcutaneous fat in the anticubital (also referred to as AC, the name for that fold on your elbow). As such the large vein or veins generally aren’t as deep and they are less likely to roll when trying to get a needle in them. It’s also just generally the biggest and juiciest vein that’s easy to access. It’s also the least painful to access. Anatomically the layout of veins varies a bit in location but everyone has a vein generally dead center in the anticubital.
Now I will say as a floor nurse it’s my least favorite IV access point, it’s fine for blood draws and for medication pushes. But if I have to run continuous infusions, the fact that it bends means I have to consistently restart my pumps as the IV becomes occluded every time the patient bends their arm (it’s kind of like a bent straw effect).
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