FDA Finds Serious Injury Risk Caused by Unintentional Injection of Fillers into Facial Blood Vessels

AccuVein Vein Visualization Helps Guideline Adherence by Highlighting Vein Location

AccuVein vein visualization aids clinicians in locating veins, helping them to comply with the recent FDA safety alert. The alert warns that serious injuries may occur due to unintentional injection of soft tissue filler into blood vessels in the face. There are approximately two million soft filler procedures performed annually in the U.S.

In this alert the FDA is recommending that clinicians make sure that they “are familiar with the anatomy at and around the site of injection, keeping in mind that blood vessel anatomy can vary among patients.” To increase familiarity with the patient’s facial vasculature, many aesthetic clinicians are incorporating vein visualization into their procedures.

The AccuVein vein visualization device provides a roadmap of the vasculature that would typically be unseen, allowing aestheticians to avoid veins entirely or work around them. The use of vein illumination can help physicians be more careful during injectable procedures and help them to more easily follow the FDA’s newly suggested guidelines for administering fillers in the soft tissue of the face.

According to the agency, “Rare but serious adverse events that are associated with intravascular injection of soft tissue filler material in the face include (acute or permanent) vision impairment, blindness, cerebral ischemia or cerebral hemorrhage, leading to stroke, skin necrosis, and damage to underlying facial structures.”

“Aesthetic facilities are increasingly adopting AccuVein vein visualization,” said AccuVein CEO, Ron Goldman.  “We are pleased that the AccuVein solution can aid clinicians in complying with this new FDA mandate.”

AccuVein will be demonstrating its vein visualization technology at The Aesthetic Show booth #703 on July 10 – 12 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

About AccuVein Inc.

AccuVein Inc. is the global leader in vein visualization technology. AccuVein’s flagship product, the AccuVein, is the world’s only hand-held, non-contact vein illumination solution. The device has won numerous awards including the prestigious 2014 Prism Award for Photonics Innovation. It allows healthcare professionals to see a map of peripheral veins on the skin’s surface with the goal of accessing or avoiding veins. It is built on proprietary technology as embodied in its growing patent portfolio that covers a broad range of imaging and medical diagnostic technologies. AccuVein is in use at more than 3,000 facilities and available for sale in over 120 countries worldwide. To see a demonstration of AccuVein in action, please visit www.accuvein.com.