Seconds count in an emergency and that's especially true when it comes to starting an IV. First responders in Omaha now have new technology to make that process easier.

The new IV system helps patients who can't have an IV inserted the traditional way. The EZ-IO vascular access system inserts the IV by drilling a needle into the shin bone just below the knee. Most patients will be unconscious when paramedics drill the hole and wont feel pain.

"Those people we cant put an IV into to give them the medication they need,” says Dr. Joseph Stothert. “We can now put it in the bone marrow cavity which is about as good."

The technology can be used on children as well as adults and is most often used in life threatening situations. Omaha paramedics have already used this new technology in reviving two heart attack patients.

Every Omaha medic unit will carry one of the systems. Doctors say the risk is minor, less than a one percent chance of getting a bone infection, but the benefits are life saving.