Take the guesswork out of finding veins. A vein finder can make the process faster, safer, and more pleasant for patients – and practitioners. A vein viewer is the only piece of equipment that’s proven effective and convenient enough to reduce sticks and boost patient satisfaction. As a medical professional, you will find that a vein viewer is beneficial before, during, and after a procedure.
Around the world, medical professionals use vein viewers to improve their ability to find veins. Vein viewers also help to reduce costs and improve the quality of treatment. Invariably, vein viewers prove highly effective in clinical settings. To learn why a vein viewer is a must-have gadget for any medical professional, read on.
How Does a Vein Viewer Work?
A vein viewer helps caregivers locate patients’ veins easily. For instance, you may find a vein viewer beneficial if you need to collect a blood sample or run an intravenous line.
A vein viewer uses near-infrared light to find veins underneath the skin. The infrared light displays a microscopic view of the vein paths of a patient. This way, you can easily view the location of the patient’s veins on the surface of their skin.
In a sense, a vein viewer is like a handheld x-ray machine, although it’s not quite the same. Nevertheless, it enables medical professionals to find a suitable vein to work with during treatment.
The concept of the vein finder is relatively new. Professor Herbert Zeman came up with the invention in 1995. However, the device has only become popular in recent years.
Zeman thought of the idea after watching care providers unsuccessfully attempt to locate patients’ veins. He also noticed that the process was highly painful for patients. Zeman created the vein viewer to make this procedure more comfortable for patients and less stressful for care providers.
Overcoming Treatment Challenges With Tech
Studies show that care providers must run a line for most hospitalized patients. This practice is a routine procedure in most hospitals.
Often, there are complications in inserting the device that connects to the line. That needle-like device is called a cannula.
Typically, a care provider may consider difficulties in inserting a cannula as a part of doing their job. However, it doesn’t have to be this way.
Multiple sticks can lead to more severe conditions than broken skin. These issues can include:
- Embolisms
- Extravasation
- Infection
- Nerve damage
- Phlebitis
- Thrombosis
However, an imaging device can help care providers avoid failed attempts at inserting a cannula. The same benefit applies to care providers who need to use a needle to take blood samples.
In the most severe cases, a caregiver may use an ultrasound to find a patient’s vein. It’s a noninvasive procedure that allows care providers to find veins in real-time. However, this method requires coordination with an imaging technologist, which can prove time-consuming and unnecessarily costly.
Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is a better alternative. This procedure involves the use of a small handheld device to find patients’ veins.
To use an infrared vein finder viewer, the care provider holds the device over the injection area. The device will then project a map of the patient’s blood veins on their skin using visible wavelengths of light.
The vein viewer finder creates the image by radiating the skin with near-infrared rays. Patients’ tissue and blood absorb the light in varying amounts.
The device will record how the radiated area absorbs the near-infrared light. It will then project an image showing the location of the patient’s veins.
Why Choose a Vein Viewer?
If you need to perform a procedure on a patient, hidden veins can prove troublesome and stressful. Multiple attempts to find a vein can prove frustrating. It’s also painful for patients.
Multiple attempts to find a vein can lead to the previously mentioned complications. These complications may require a more invasive procedure to correct.
Correcting problems that arise during multiple attempts to find a vein requires the use of more skilled medical professionals. It also uses more resources. Moreover, however, it places patients at increased risk of further infection.
Many experienced practitioners anticipate the risk of a failed stick based on a patient’s traits to avoid these problems, according to a report published by Science Direct. For instance, if the patient is an infant, a caregiver may assume that there’s a high chance that the procedure will fail. Fortunately, a vein finder can enable you to eliminate this kind of guesswork.
A vein finder can help you find veins easily among patients of all backgrounds. In some instances, it may help you find hidden veins. Either way, vein finders enable healthcare providers to resolve nearly all difficult cases.
Vein Viewers for Pediatrics
Vein viewers are especially beneficial for pediatrics, according to a report published by the Italian Journal of pediatrics. Care providers may find trouble finding a vein in one of every two infants. A vein finder can help you mitigate this problem.
Typically, a pediatrician or child caregiver must make more than one attempt to find a vein in these instances. However, a vein viewer device can make the process easier.
Source Your Equipment From a Reliable Supplier
Outpatient Supply is a leading supplier of medical equipment. We can provide swift order fulfillment from our warehouses located in the United States.
We’ve built a solid reputation for providing healthcare providers with cutting-edge technology. Outpatient Supply specializes in fulfilling medical equipment needs, whether you’re sourcing supplies for a medical hub operating room or a small physician’s office. We can source a wide variety of supplies from our network that spans more than 50 countries around the world.
Contact us today at (727) 853-6383 to find out more about how a vein viewer can help you to improve the treatment process for both patients and care providers. Also, if you have trouble sourcing equipment, our specialists are standing by and waiting to help you to fulfill your needs.