Vein Visualization Using Near-Infrared (NIR) Vein Finder Technology in Nursing Care: A Review of the Benefits and Shortcomings

Background
Near-Infrared (NIR) Vein Visualization devices allow for noninvasive identification of veins for multiple clinical uses. This study reviews the benefits and shortcomings of the NIR technique in nursing care based on a comprehensive literature review.

Materials and Methods
A systematic search of electronic databases was performed, including Medline, SCOPUS, Web of Science, EMBASE, CIVILICA, and Google Scholar. The search had no time limit up to November 2021 and used related keywords alone or in combination.

Results
The use of NIR to assist intravenous cannulation in pediatric patients significantly reduced:

• The time required for cannulation

• The number of cannulation attempts

One study demonstrated the ability and effectiveness of the device in identifying the nature of the vein in real-time for two studied locations: the arm and dorsal hand sites.

Another study concluded that wet heat treatment affects the palpation of veins in both experimental and control groups (p<0.01).

A further study showed that peripheral IV cannulation is easy to perform with guidance from ultrasonography and trans-illumination in pediatric patients with difficult venous access. This approach resulted in a high overall success rate of cannulation, particularly for cases of low vein visibility associated with Asian and African-American ethnicity or obesity.

One study reported that the first-time insertion success (FTIS) rate was 73%, with:

• Sensitivity: 74.26%

• Specificity: 57.69%

• Positive predictive value: 82.87%

Conclusion
NIR technology is useful in locating the vein for cannulation, providing venous access for blood sampling, therapy, and other medical purposes at a very low cost. It is especially beneficial for pediatric and elderly patients and others with difficult venous access.