The Oklahoma Eagle

Technology used in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; allows medical staff to better see tiny veins

OKLAHOMA CITY - The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center has recently added the latest technology in vascular imaging, the VeinViewer by Luminetx.  The VeinViewer is a revolutionary technology that projects an image of a patient’s veins directly on the surface of the skin, providing a real time vascular road map.
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Children’s Hospital is believed to be the first in the state to use the device exclusively in the NICU, which is critical since the baby’s veins are so small and very difficult to see.

The VeinViewer works by utilizing near-infrared light to detect the hemoglobin in the blood and then projecting that image on the surface of the skin.  The medical personal can literally, and clearly, see the veins through the skin - including deep veins which are invisible by looking at the skin.  It is not dangerous for the patient and is painless.  Furthermore, health care professionals can keep their hands free during procedures while the system accurately maps the patient’s veins regardless of age, body type or skin tone.
“The VeinViewer gives you a pathway to find a larger vein which can sustain an IV for longer periods of time,” said Susan Bedwell, MS, APN, NCNS-BC, Neonatal Clinical Nurse Specialist at the Children’s Hospital. “Because we can more easily find the veins, there are less sticks which means less pain, less distress and in the long run that is best for our patients.”

Some of the clinical treatments and procedures improved through the use of the VeinViewer include routine veinpuncture (blood sampling), IVs and PICC line insertion.  Although performed frequently, veinpuncture is commonly thought of as one of the most painful and anxiety-provoking invasive procedures performed by nurses.   It is estimated that more than 1 billion veinpunctures are performed annually.
“The VeinViewer helps even our most experienced nurses get the medication going quickly and easily with the least trauma to the baby, the parents and the medical staff,” said Marilyn Escobedo, MD, medical director of the Children’s Hospital NICU.

VeinViewer has been recognized by Time Magazine as “one of the most amazing medical inventions.”