Many people are difficult sticks. Being in the healthcare business, we have all come across at least one friend, family member, or patient who has told us the story of their difficulty with venipuncture procedures and the pain of the bruises left behind. As healthcare professionals I can imagine the stress added when a patient announces “I’m a very hard stick”. Here is a story from the patient’s perspective, on the use of vein illumination to help with finding and sticking a suitable vein.
…I was being prepped for surgery and the only fear I had was the process of inserting the IV needle into the back of my hand or in my forearm. I have a history of being a “tough stick”. I am told I have deep small veins that are hard to find. I am a healthy male, age 58 and like to consider myself a “tough guy” when it comes to pain. My prior experience with IV’s and blood draws, etc has been sheer torture! I beg and plead for the nurse or phlebotomist to “not guess” and just stick and probe me hoping to find a vein. This past experience was no different. No less than 4 RN’s…gathered around me and in a group effort tried to insert the IV catheter into the back of my right hand. The RN dug and probed with the needle until she gave up. This was absolute TORTURE! Another RN then tried to find a vein on my left hand, but decided against trying because she saw that I had hematoma’s from my last IV massacre. She then decided to look at the tender area of my forearm. She was looking and palpating and then went for it and stuck me with no luck. She then began the, as I describe it, painful “probing and digging” with the needle. It was then that a vendor arrived in the OR prep room and offered to demo the AccuVein Vein Finder. It was a Godsend! He directed the device over my arm and we could actually see that the needle was sliding off the vein. With the guidance of the Vein Finder the RN was able to direct the needle directly into the vein successfully! Thank you for helping me and I hope that the AccuVein VeinFinder can help other patients avoid a lot of pain and suffering…
-Mike A. Bensalem, PA
You can find this testimonial and other patient and practitioner feedback here.
