The vein finder is in use on Ocean Ward

The AccuVein finder is used to assist in locating children's veins when the child has to undergo cannulation. It is a small hand held device that uses near-infrared light reflection to create a map of the veins that is reflected onto the patient’s skin.

It is currently in use on Ocean Ward at Bristol Children's Hospital, the ward looking after patients who require chemotherapy, day surgery, and supportive care related to oncological and haemotological disorders and bone marrow transplants. 

The patients treated on Ocean Ward often have many years of treatment so the better we can make their ongoing experience, the better it is for them.

In the hospital

Selena Peters, Advanced Paediatric Nurse Practitioner on the ward, said: "In Ocean Day Unit we have a lot of patients who attend for blood transfusions or MRI scans who need to have cannulation in order to receive their treatment. The device has made a big difference in reducing the number of times cannulation is attempted as it assists in locating the veins that may result in a successful outcome and has led to a reduction in multiple attempts where the vein may not be easily located or accessed.

"It has definitely led to an increase in my own success rate at cannulations. It has led to fewer attempts being made to gain peripheral access and has reduced the trauma experienced by the children and their families.

"Before having the Accuvein finder, we would have multiple attempts at cannulation by multiple persons and would regularly have to contact the Anaesthetic team for assistance. We still do have occasions where this is still the case but it is definitely happening less.

"We have not formally collected feedback from our patients who have had cannulation with our vein finder but when we use it the parents and patients love it. It is non-invasive and not scary and we demonstrate on ourselves to show the children what it does. We let them use it themselves on their veins so that they can see what it does. It has just been a very positive piece of equipment to have in our department."

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