AccuVein AV300 Have you ever fallen prey to the find-the-hidden-vein scenario, where a practitioner in the attempt of locating the vein may have made repeated use of needle sticks? If like the rest of us, you have personally experienced this, then you may be able to relate to the amount of discomfort and anxiety felt by the patient.

But this procedure may now be a thing of the past. Gone are the days where you had to sit through immense discomfort. A latest device has been released which boasts of aiding the health-care professionals in detecting these hard-to-locate-veins. The innovative AV300 Portable System is stated to have been released by AccuVein, a company out of Cold Spring Harbor, New York.

It has been estimated that venipuncture may be conducted about 2.7 million times daily in the U.S alone. This is said to be the most common invasive medical procedure to be conducted. More so, this may also prove to be an unpleasant experience for some patients. Apart from utilizing several needle sticks, locating veins in sensitive patients may even consume about 10 minutes.

Dr. Diane Sixsmith, Chairman of New York Hospital Queens, says that, “In fast-paced environments like the ER or in ambulances, reducing the time to access veins and ensuring other tests are conducted and medication is provided quickly is paramount to improving patient care outcomes. In some cases, establishing IV access may involve multiple attempts, which can increase the risk of IV site complications.”

AV300 is believed to be the first hand-held, non-contact vein illumination device to have been made globally. This device may be beneficial to practitioners to detect the vein for intravenous lines or venipuncture (blood draw) in a patient. Apparently, with the ability to scan about 8mm below the skin surface, the device can identify and illuminate the veins which may be needed for venipuncture, intravenous lines or drug delivery. Just with the press of a button, the device evidently reflects light on the skin which immediately divulges the vein location. This vein map may in turn aid health-care personnel to easily discover the veins for access.

AccuVein President, Stephen P. Conlon says that, “The AV300 enables healthcare professionals to see a vein map on the skin, which represents an exciting medical innovation striving to improve the time, comfort and cost of care. Furthermore, we’ve found that patients respond positively when they can see a display of their veins for these procedures, so we expect that the AV300 will contribute to increased patient satisfaction – a priority in the healthcare community.”

This highly useful portable device is believed to weight only about 10 ounces. With its ability to immediately switch between hand-held and hands-free mode, the device allegedly frees the health-care professional’s hands to easily perform venipuncture.