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Device Helps Ease The Pain Of Needle Sticks

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By Emily West

Story Published: Apr 3, 2008 at 1:36 PM CST

Story Updated: Apr 3, 2008 at 6:42 PM CST

It can be a painful predicament, a nurse trying unsuccessfully to find a patient's vein to insert an I-V.

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But now, Methodist Medical Center's Emergency Room has a new device to prevent repeated, painful pricks of the skin.

It's called a Vein Finder.

It shines infrared light on the patients skin to show where the veins are. and which ones will most likely work best for an I-V.

Registered Nurse Carrie DeWitt said, "It improves our patient satisfaction by limiting how many I.V. sticks someone can have. You just put it over the patient's skin where ever you are wanting to start an I.V. it illuminates it. It uses infrared light to illuminate the vein."

The ER at Methodist has two of these mobile devices. Nurses say the Vein Finder is especially good for pediatric patients and for people with hard to see veins.

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