Vein visualization: patient characteristic factors and efficacy of a new infrared vein finder technology

Vein visualization : Establishing peripheral i.v. access is an invasive procedure critical to medical care. Despite this, clinicians and researchers know little about the characteristics of having many or few veins aside from anecdotal reports and experiences. Surprisingly, there is currently no literature about the number of veins visible in patients or the patient characteristics associated with difficult i.v. access. Previous studies reported various factors that affect vein visibility required for vein cannulation, but none has investigated patient characteristics and skin colour specifically. Our study investigated patient characteristics associated with finding veins eligible for cannulation.

As life expectancy increases and patients have more procedures throughout their lifetime, Vein visualization is seen as a vital long-term task. A device or technique that helps reduce cannulation attempts would be one step towards vein preservation. Technical advances and substantial research have allowed healthcare providers to improve the ease and speed of placing i.v. catheters. Some studies have focused on techniques and devices to improve vein visibility. Our study examined visualization of superficial veins with a new infrared technology. There are several devices using this technology including the our SIFVEINFINDER.