As anyone who's ever felt the pain of a needle prick can attest to, the last thing a patient wants is for a medical professional to miss the vein and have to try to stick the needle in again. Memphis-based company Christie Medical Holdings seeks to take the guesswork out of the equation with the VeinViewer, an ingenious device designed to help clinicians clearly locate the right vein every time.
How does the innovative process work? First, the VeinViewer projects harmless near-infrared (NIR) light onto the patient's skin. Their blood absorbs the light, and the surrounding tissue reflects the NIR back to the imaging head. The head unit then captures and processes the data before sending it back to the surface of the skin with green light added to the background for contrast. This technology allows the VeinViewer to essentially “see” up to 10 mm below the patient's skin, providing hospital staff with a precise picture of where the veins are located. Not only that, but the device can detect valves and bifurcations, assess which vein is the best choice to stick, see if a vein rolls, watch blood disperse and refill while flushing IV fluids, and potentially avoid infiltrations and other serious complications.
The VeinViewer has been proven to help clinicians around the world make needle sticking a quicker, less invasive procedure. According to Christie Medical Holdings, the system increases first stick success by up to 100 percent, decreases medically unnecessary peripherally inserted central catheter lines by more than 30 percent, and doubles patient satisfaction. Used in healthcare centers in 40 countries around the world, the clever product promises a less stressful experience for both patients and medical professionals.
