[blsmom]

Just curious about this as a vein finder. Does it work? Are there better ones on the market? Or does the ole fashion way of palpation work just as good!

[ralphrepo]

Originally Posted by blsmom

Just curious about this as a vein finder. Does it work? Are there better ones on the market? Or does the ole fashion way of palpation work just as good!

A good old fashion metal rimmed flashlight (like the mini-mag) works just fine, and isn't anywhere near as expensive if you're into transcutaneous illumination. If you get one of the LED ones (like the streamlight LED luxeon junior ~30 bucks) you'll never have to worry about changing bulbs (last 50,000 hours), and uses simple double A batteries (available anywhere). Oh, and I use one at work. Me, formerly IV Team RN with probably more than 200,000 IV starts.

The Venoscope is a great idea, but only a so-so product once you factor in ease of use, cost, et cetera.

Ralph

[traumahawk99]

i've got one. and i'd have to say i fully agree with the above post. i found it to be useless when i was a medic, because i couldn't control lighting, etc.. in an ambulance, you've got to poke and pray .

[DawnfromKC]

As I am a new Patient Care Tech, how does one use a flashlight to help
with finding veins? I know it sound rather silly to ask, but I need all the help
I can get!

I am finishing up Phlebotomy this week and would love to share with my classmates this bit of information....
Thanks in advance

Dawn

[nursebuxom]

Originally Posted by DawnfromKC

As I am a new Patient Care Tech, how does one use a flashlight to help
with finding veins? I know it sound rather silly to ask, but I need all the help
I can get!

I am finishing up Phlebotomy this week and would love to share with my classmates this bit of information....
Thanks in advance

Dawn

Dawn, if you're at KU MED, you have the grand master of all IV/PICC knowledge right there at your fingertips. tap in!

take a flashlight, or an otoscope, and shine the light directly on the skin. look very closely, and you'll see the veins in the glowing rim. with this method, you only get a tiny section of the vein, but you'll begin to see them with practise.

I do better with feeling my way, sometimes I use the sterile cath cover to "dent" the skin and mark where I want to insert.

venoscopes have a very limited use if your skills are good, but every now and then, it can give the clinician an edge on the very difficult patients. For IV team situations, the Landry Vein light is better. It costs more ($450), but it has an adaptor that will allow it to be used efficiently on pediatric patients, whereas the venoscope makes a separate unit for pedis, together totalling > $450.

[beffym]

From the "why didn't I think of that" department...a bit of trivia. It was originally called the "Landy Vein Light" and was invented by a Med student at Univ of Fla--now Dr. Landy. I suppose that he has retired somewhere very comfortably at a very young age by now. Oh, to invent something like this.....