Vein Finder Quadruples First-Attempt Success in Obese Diabetic Patients: Iraq Trial Results

Chemotherapy patients face a unique venipuncture challenge: repeated cannulation damages peripheral veins over time, making each subsequent attempt harder than the last. First-attempt success rates can drop from 65–87% in general adults to as low as 40% in cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced vascular damage .

A quasi-experimental study conducted by researchers from Kafer El Sheikh University and Cairo University in Egypt evaluated whether a vein visualization device could improve outcomes in this difficult population .

The device
The Pigeon Medical DVA30, a near-infrared vein visualization device.

The study design
60 adult chemotherapy patients were divided into two groups of 30. The study group received cannulation with the DVA30 device; the control group received standard palpation-based insertion. All patients received a 22-gauge cannula in the hand, and severe insertion difficulty was reported in 83.3% of the control group and 90.0% of the study group — confirming this was a genuinely difficult-access population .

The results

• First-attempt success: 83.3% in the device group vs. 16.7% in the control group

• Pain scores: Significantly lower in the device group (p < 0.001)

• Complications: Significantly fewer in the device group (p < 0.002)

• Anxiety levels: No statistically significant difference between groups (p > 0.05)

Why it matters
This study is one of the few conducted in the Middle East/North Africa region on vein visualization in oncology. It demonstrates that for chemotherapy patients — whose veins are compromised by repeated treatment — a vein visualization device can dramatically improve first-attempt success while reducing pain and complications. The lack of anxiety reduction suggests the device addresses the procedural difficulty but not the psychological burden of repeated needlesticks; that may require additional communication and support strategies .

For oncology units, infusion centers, and any clinical setting serving patients with compromised vascular access, this case provides strong evidence that vein visualization is not a convenience — it is a clinical necessity.