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nursing at Physicians' Eye Surgery Center in Charleston, S.C. "It's really
increased their overall confidence."
Patients are impressed
Ms. Blanton's staff doesn't use the technology for every patient. Like many nurs-
es faced with starting an IV, members of her pre-op team assess patients' veins
Infrared vein-viewing technology increased the num-
ber of potential IV start sites caregivers identified
compared with conventional visual methods, accord-
ing to a study published in the British Journal of
Anaesthesia (osmag.net/C2eCsN).
The researchers say the technology identified an
average of 9 possible sites compared with 6 possi-
ble sites noticed with visual inspection. African
Americans or Asians and the obese were associated
with decreased vein visibility, according to the study.
However, the technology resulted in similar vein-
finding success in each subgroup.
Patients are living longer and will therefore undergo more procedures in their lifetimes, a factor that
increases the importance of vein preservation, note the researchers. They also say blind attempts to access
non-visible veins can frustrate caregivers and hurt patients. Worse, they say, multiple unsuccessful attempts
at starting IVs can lead to infection and the need for more invasive techniques that raise infection risks even
more.
Although the study involved infrared technology, the researchers suggest other vein-viewing aids would
likely achieve similar results.
— Daniel Cook
CLINICAL PROOF
Study Backs
Vein-viewing Technology
z FALSE START Vein-viewing devices can help your
staff locate more potential IV start sites, even when
faced with challenging cases.