Near-Infrared Light Assists Phlebotomists In Finding Veins


Getting bloodwork can be a painful experience for both the patient and the professional drawing the blood. If you have difficult veins it can be an even tougher process. Christie Medical set out to change the perception of phlebotomy and make the process as painless as possible for everyone. Their product, the VeinViewer, uses near-infrared light to detect veins beneath the skin and display them in the form of a map. The hemoglobin in the blood absorbs the infrared light and is transferred to a high definition image displayed on the patient's skin, locating the veins.

The VeinViewer is being used to aid in training phlebotomy students, instilling confidence in feeling for the correct vein. This remarkable technology assures that they have found the correct vein and has improved stick accuracy immensely. Brian Treu, founder and owner of Phlebotomy Training Specialists (PTS), says, "Students and employers will benefit equally from implementing this technology… the quicker the students get the 'feel' in class, the more accurate and effective each subsequent blood-draw becomes." VeinViewer has been shown to improve IV first-stick success by up to 100%. Often, veinpuncture attempts fail, which results in a number of issues. Diagnosis and patient management may be delayed if veinpuncture is not quick and accurate. IV therapy may also not begin punctually and the delay of puncture causes unnecessary stress to both the patient and professional.

The VeinViewer uses exclusive vein illumination technology. With a great depth of visualization, phlebotomists are able to see peripheral veins up to 10mm, something unheard of until now. This technology uses ultra-fine minimum feature resolution to locate the smallest veins, particularly useful in pediatrics. The VeinViewer boasts unrivaled accuracy with TrueView and RDAV technology, assuring accurate digital display placement and real depth accuracy value. The product offers a hands-free option, is small in size and works in the light or dark. Additionally, the device is movement tolerant because the veins are shown in real-time. Because the device is designed to have no patient contact, it provides a sterile solution to patients who may be immunocompromised. Vein illumination technology and near-infrared light are changing the way we access veins and have become an essential tool to all phlebotomy professionals. The near-infrared light range can be measured using a high resolution Instrument Systems CAS 140CT Spectrometer. Konica Minolta Sensing is committed to staying on the cutting edge of medical technology to provide you with the top of the line products and information.

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