Blood drawing for patients with hard-to-reach veins just became a lot easier and less painful at The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, NJ, thanks to a small hand-held device that lights up veins like a roadmap. With the AccuVein illumination device, the need for multiple needle sticks to try to hit a good vein for a blood draw is a thing of the past.

Hemoglobin in the blood absorbs the infrared light of the device. When the device is held above the skin, veins appear noticeably different than the surrounding tissue. The vasculature shows up clearly on the skin’s surface, aiding in vein location to collect a blood sample or administer IV medications.

When a vein is reached on the first attempt, it is much more comfortable for the patient since they have significantly less pain and swelling, if any, during and after the draw.

“Patients at Valley, especially those with hard-to-reach veins, are happy about our use of the vein illuminator,” said David Rivera, Director of Cardiac Services at The Valley Hospital Heart & Vascular Institute. “Several patients have commented that they have felt a lot more comfortable during blood draws and IV insertions with the vein illuminator because of not needing multiple sticks. Valley is proud to be the first Bergen County hospital to have a large-scale deployment of the AccuVein device.”

Very often, elderly patients and children have hard-to-reach veins that cause the procedure to be more painful. Dehydration, obesity, certain medications, and drug abuse can also contribute to having hard-to-reach veins.

Ron Goldman, Chief Executive Officer of AccuVein, said, “The Valley Hospital is a recognized leader in patient safety and their large scale adoption of vein illumination is further evidence of their commitment to excellent patient care.”