Vein-viewing Technology Improves Patient Safety at Rogue Valley Medical Center

March 9, 2011 - PRLog -- MEDFORD, Ore.,--Rogue Valley Medical Center is the first hospital in Southern Oregon to use the new VeinVeiwer device to imporve patient safety when inserting a needle.

When the nurse gets ready to start an IV, you want the nurse to know where your veins are the first time. Now there is a new technology that makes that possible. The VeinViewer Vision device for vascular imaging is a remarkable technology that projects the location of a patient’s veins (subcutaneous vasculature) directly on the surface of the skin, providing a road map in real time. It increases both accuracy and safety when inserting a needle into a vein.

“VeinViewer is truly having an impact on patient care,” said Robin Hanson, RN, clinical manager of emergency services. “With VeinViewer, It has helped us increase the success rate of our needlesticks and reduced the amount of time spent on them. But the best part is how it has lowered the levels of stress and discomfort associated with multiple sticks for the patient and the patient’s family.”

VeinViewer helps nurses, laboratory staff, and doctors with a non-invasive way to guide procedures such as IV insertion, blood sampling (venipuncture), and peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC line) insertion. Although performed frequently, venipuncture is commonly thought of as one of the most painful and anxiety-provoking invasive procedures performed by nurses.* Experts estimate that more than 1 billion venipunctures are performed annually.**

“VeinViewer makes our pediatric and neonatal patients’ veins visible to the naked eye,” said Michele Strickland, RN, clinical manager of Children’s Services. “It really helps us to provide truly compassionate care, and our kids feel much more comfortable.”

Developed by Christie Medical Holdings (formerly Luminetx), VeinViewer is the first and only patented technology to locate subcutaneous vasculature and project real-time images directly onto the surface of the skin. Vision is the third generation of VeinViewer and utilizes near-infrared light, a digital video camera and an image processing unit to build an image of the patient’s vasculature. The device then projects that image, in real time, onto the patient’s skin using visible light. Healthcare professionals can keep their hands free during procedures while the system accurately maps the patient’s vasculature regardless of age, body type or skin tone.

About Christie Medical Holdings
Christie Medical Holdings, Inc., formerly Luminetx Corporation, is a global company based in Memphis, Tenn. that discovers, develops and commercializes medical technologies. For more information, visit www.christiedigital.com.  

References
*Jacobson A. Intradermal normal saline solution, self-selected music, and insertion difficulty effects on intravenous insertion pain. Heart and Lung: The Journal of Acute and Critical Care 1999:28:114-122.

**Grable HO, Gill GW. Phlebotomy puncture juncture: preventing phlebotomy errors – potential for harming patients. Laboratory Medicine 2005;36,7:420-33.

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Asante Health System is a non-profit organization providing advanced medical care to over 550,000 people in Southern Oregon and Northern California. It includes Rogue Valley Medical Center in Medford and Three Rivers Community Hospital in Grants Pass.