July 20, 2007
Contact: Bob Lowry
USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital
(251) 415-1358
REVOLUTIONARY VEIN-VIEWING TECHNOLOGY
COMES TO USA CHILDREN’S & WOMEN’S HOSPITAL
MOBILE – Having blood drawn or receiving an IV can sometimes seem like target practice for patients whose veins aren’t easily found. However, USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital has removed much of the guesswork.
Children’s & Women’s has become the first hospital in Mobile to acquire Vein Viewers, which are special imaging machines that show a “road map” of a patient’s veins directly on the surface of their skin.
“We’re constantly looking for ways to reduce our patients’ stress and discomfort,” Dr. Becky DeVillier, administrator at USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital, said. “These Vein Viewers greatly improve the success rate in finding healthy veins in adults and children alike.”
The Vein Viewer uses near-infrared light, a digital video camera and an image-processing unit to build an image of the patient’s veins. That image is then projected, real-time, onto the patient’s skin using visible light. It appears as a bright, green light with the veins showing as black lines. The Vein Viewer can be used on any patient, regardless of age, skin tone or body type, and it poses no risk to the patient or the health care practitioner.
“The process of finding a vein can be difficult,” said Terri Wright, nurse manager of the Adolescent unit at Children’s & Women’s. “Children, especially, are nervous and uncomfortable about needles, but the Vein Viewer is an interesting distraction for them. And since we’re more successful in finding a vein the first time, the whole process is less painful.”
The Vein Viewer also helps relieve parental anxiety. “We can show children and their parents where the needle will go and that makes them more comfortable,” Kaye Cooper, Operating Room nurse manager, said. “Including the parent in patient care means they’re more agreeable and more confident in a good outcome.”
Many patients who receive numerous needle sticks or have veins that collapse easily are a challenge for nurses trying to find a good vein. Many nurses rely on veins that they can easily see or feel. Sometimes those veins are nearly impossible to find, and patients must endure multiple needle sticks.
“We had a patient who once required 17 needle sticks before a good vein could be found,” Kim Bond, USA Children’s & Women’s pediatric nurse educator, said. “Then we got the Vein Viewer and we found a good vein on the first try. Naturally, his mother was thrilled.”
The patient’s mother, Chantaye Robinson, said her 8-year-old son, Cameron, thinks the Vein Viewer is “really cool. He was excited about it. He said it was awesome. I say it’s a real blessing.”
Anesthesiologist Dr. Eddrice McMullan said the Vein Viewer makes a difference for many children. “It is really useful for us, and the children and parents are relieved when they see how well it works,” McMullan said.
USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital purchased five Vein Viewers through funds collected in the annual Children’s Miracle Network broadcast. “We’re grateful for the outpouring of community support we receive through the Children’s Miracle Network broadcast,” DeVillier said. “This is a wonderful example of how our supporters are enabling us to help our patients.”
* * *
CAPTION: Before-and-after photos of a child’s hand illustrate the Vein Viewer’s ability to easily locate veins. USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital has purchased five Vein Viewers through funds raised in the Children’s Miracle Network broadcast, and is the only hospital in Mobile to have the Vein Viewers.