Dermatomes:

Buzzy needs to go "between the brain and the pain" to be effective.  It's fairly straightforward on the hands and arms, but gets a little more sophisticated other places.  There are excellent dermatome drawings online, or we had our fantastic Respiratory Therapist Craig Barfield help us out.

This shows where Buzzy would go for an IM.  Place him right on the spot, then move toward the shoulder and leave in place when the shot is given.  For the subcutaneous shots in the deltoid, move him posterior and lateral for about 15 seconds, then again reposition slightly proximal during the shot.

Thighs are a bit tricky, because the dermatomes curve from backside toward the knee.  Again, place on the area where the shot will go, but then slide a little toward the hip rather than straight up and down.  Buzzy's motor is at his tail end, so that should be closer to the shot rather than his head.  Also, if the patient will tolerate the ice pack, it does add about 60% of the pain relief, so go for it.

Same concept for venipuncture, although for an IV start or lab draw don't put Buzzy directly on the site, place him 2-3cm proximal.  Buzzy can have ice packs for lab draws, too.  Our study didn't find any decrease in success.

For shots in the stomach, the nerves come out from the spine and wrap around as if someone is giving a hug from behind, and their arms are the nerves.  This Buzzy is in great position for a poke between the bellybutton and Buzzy's butt.

Tourniquets:

Either place the velcro strap or any kind of tourniquet through Buzzy's slot behind his tummy.  If you opt for the strap  through the belly, place the BUzzy either proximal to or on top of the tourniquet.

As seen in a prototype of Buzzy, you can also put the tourniquet straight through.  Older models of Buzzy didn't have a guide, but the slick, modern Buzzy we sell now makes it easy to put even the thinnest disposable tourniquet right through.

One model of Buzzy has a click-n-attach tourniquet pre-inserted.  You would need to unscrew Buzzy to make it back into a press-on device, so be sure that blood and lab draws are what you really need before getting this one!