Wolfson Has More VeinViewers in Use than Any Other Hospital in the State
Jacksonville, Florida, May 27, 2008 -- While procedures requiring access to a vein can be stressful for many individuals, there are even more challenges associated with pediatric venipuncture: small veins, limited access points and managing the anxiety of the children and their families. This process has become much easier at Wolfson Children's Hospital because of its use of the VeinViewer by Luminetx™. Wolfson has more VeinViewers in use than any other hospital in Florida.
The patented VeinViewer enables nurses and clinicians to see blood vessels below the surface of the skin. It does this using revolutionary technology that utilizes near-infrared light, a digital videocamera and an image-processing unit to build an image of the patient's vasculature directly on the surface of his or her skin, projecting a visual roadmap to the patient's vessels.
The VeinViewer provides clinicians with a safe, non-invasive adjunct technology for clinical treatments and procedures including IV insertion and routine venipuncture (blood sampling). It can also be used for PICC line insertion, which is used for accessing the superior vena cava for patients requiring a lot of blood tests and injections.
The VeinViewer is proving to be an invaluable asset to nurses throughout the hospital. "It gives us an additional tool to help visualize the veins so we have better success on the first attempt and less sticks," says Holly Hess, lead pediatric vascular access nurse, RN, BSN, CRNI. "This is easier on the pediatric patient."
The technology allows nurses to look at a hand with a dark or light skin tone and see the veins very clearly. "It packs a lot of wow -- it's an amazing and incredible piece of technology," Hess explains. "The technology is particularly helpful for new nurses by providing them with an additional way, other than their sense of touch and sight, to help find veins clearly."
Although nurses are excited about the results of the new technology, it is the patients and families who have the greatest appreciation for the technology. "Once they see the technology and how it works, they request it every time they come in to the hospital," Hess states.
Thanks to a generous donation from long-time donors and Wolfson Children's Hospital supporters, Linda and Vince Ferrigno, Wolfson has a total of nine VeinViewers, making it the hospital with the most units available for patient care in Florida. "If we could eradicate the majority of pain for these little ones, that is God's blessing and only by God's blessing," Vince Ferrigno says.
