Blood transfusions and intravenous starts are painful, as any patient can attest. Now these experiences may be slightly more enjoyable for children, thanks to research conducted by Bruce Becker, professor of emergency medicine, and Lauren Presant '10.
The researchers explored applications of VeinViewer — which makes a map of patients' veins — for children. The machine, which has been in use for five years, uses near-infrared light to detect the iron in the hemoglobin of blood. It takes that information, processes it and creates a map of a patient's veins, which it then projects onto the skin.
Becker and Presant determined the device was able to locate many more veins than possible with the naked eye. For children especially, nurses typically feel the arm to find veins, sometimes requiring multiple painful needle insertions.
"Starting this process is the hardest part. We don't want to stick multiple times for (IVs)," Presant said.
The device makes it "easier to find veins in order to put in an IV or to draw blood, especially in children, people of large size and people who have had many medical procedures and whose veins are in bad shape," Becker said.
