Efficacy of Vein Finder for Peripheral Intravenous Catheter Placement in Preterm Infants

Preterm is defined as babies born alive before 37 weeks of pregnancy are completed.

There are sub-categories of preterm birth, based on gestational age:

• extremely preterm (less than 28 weeks)
• very preterm (28 to 32 weeks)
• moderate to late preterm (32 to 37 weeks).

Depending on the level of care needed, the baby may be admitted to an intermediate care nursery or the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Preterm infants’ most frequent heart complications are patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and low blood pressure (hypotension).

A PDA is a continuous opening between the aorta and the pulmonary artery. While the heart defect frequently heals on its own, if left untreated, it can cause a heart murmur, heart disease, and other complications. Low blood pressure can necessitate changes in intravenous fluids and medications.

Since the placement of a Peripheral Intravenous Catheter (PIVC) is a painful procedure and Preterm infants are fragile with small blood vessels, repeated attempts for successful insertion should therefore be limited. A vein finder is an important piece of equipment in the hands of a medical professional.

SIFVEIN-5.2 vein finder helps paediatricians to see blood vessels 10 mm beneath the patients’ skin. Doctors can see the flaps of blood vessels and the movement of blood, as well as the flow of medicines in the blood vessels, in addition to the surrounding veins and their branches.

A study was conducted between June 2016 and April 2017 in the neonatal intensive care unit of Bakırköy Dr Sadi Konuk Education and Research Hospital have shown that the use of an infrared device ( vein finder) provides efficacy in time to successful cannulation.

To sum up, with the Infrared vein viewer, performance rates for the first venipuncture by medical practitioners can be significantly improved, the puncture interval can be shortened, decreasing the patient’s discomfort, reducing the chance of contamination, encouraging the patient to access medicine or liquid treatment more easily, and winning the rescue period.

References: Preterm Birth, Premature Birth, Efficacy of Vein Visualization Devices for Peripheral Intravenous Catheter Placement in Preterm Infants

Disclaimer: Although the information we provide is used by different doctors and medical staff to perform their procedures and clinical applications, the information contained in this article is for consideration only. SIFVEINFINDER is not responsible neither for the misuse of the device nor for the wrong or random generalizability of the device in all clinical applications or procedures mentioned in our articles. Users must have the proper training and skills to perform the procedure with each vein finder device.

The products mentioned in this article are only for sale to medical staff (doctors, nurses, certified practitioners, etc.) or to private users assisted by or under the supervision of a medical professional.