For Administrators...

The Cost of Failed Attempts

Failed venipuncture attempts aren’t just a pain for patients, they hurt can facilities, too:

• Increased costs per procedure, (e.g., needles, catheters, gauze, etc.). It’s estimated that every attempt to insert a peripheral catheter can cost a facility about $32
• Decreased staff productivity can occur because a missed vein requires the procedure to be repeated; productivity can be further impacted should the caregiver have to escalate the procedure to specialized staff
• Delays in treatment and diagnosis can occur because lab work is held up
• Higher costs may be incurred when alternative invasive procedures are required to gain venous access

Displaying Veins Beneath the Surface

Why can such a common procedure be so difficult? Because vein location is often guesswork that relies on instinct and tactile sensitivity. Also venipuncture on some patients can be particularly challenging. Difficult draws include those from the elderly, dark-skinned and obese patients. In fact, finding a suitable vein may pose a challenge on any patient.The AccuVein AV300 can help take the guesswork out of vein location by making the veins beneath the skin visible, serving to supplement existing techniques.

The Good News

With the use of the AV300, facilities may experience a higher first-attempt success rate, which could result in:

• Lower costs/procedure;
• Increased staff productivity;
• More timely treatment/diagnosis;

A Must for Every Venous-Access Procedure

The AV300 is portable and lightweight. It’s as simple as pointing the device at an area of the skin and clicking to illuminate the veins beneath. And because it is non-contact, it can re-verify vein location after the site has been cleaned.  The AV300 runs on a rechargeable battery, so there’s no need to be near an electrical outlet.

Because of these benefits and its ease of use, it’s not just good business sense to encourage use of the AccuVein AV300 for every patient, it is good patient care.