THE IV-EYE
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HOW IT OPERATES
The IV-eye is placed flat on a patient’s peripheral limb (lower arm or back of hand) and uses near-infrared light to illuminate the skin and the subcutaneous tissue. The near-infrared light is transmitted by means of light emitting diodes (LEDs) in the flexible wings. The near-infrared light penetrates the patient’s skin, is absorbed by the haemoglobin in the blood, and passes through the fat and other tissue surrounding a vein. The camera on the underside of the IV-eye captures an image of the blocked light and a digital processor creates an image of the underlying vascular structure. This is then shown an on an LCD display situated on the top of the device.
The display has a red line down its centre, this is “lined up” with a suitable vein and a red laser light is then projected onto the patient’s skin to indicate a suitable insertion point.
BACKGROUND
The difficulty clinicians face when searching for a suitable vein to cannulate and the resulting numbers of failed stick attempts is a real and increasing issue. Novarix has developed the IV-eye vein imager that is designed to assist doctors and nurses in the identification of peripheral blood vessels through providing a real-time image of a patient’s vascular structure.
Reducing the number of unsuccessful cannulation attempts should lead to a reduction in the related costs that arise from failed attempts (such as materials, staff time, escalation procedures, and delays in treatment) and result in better clinical outcome and increased patient satisfaction.
Portable Infra-red Vein Imager
