IT can occasionally be challenging for health care professionals to detect veins in humans. This is especially true in the case of babies and infants who may have hard-to-see veins and/or because of distress from being in the hospital space.

Now, thanks to funding from Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation, Abbotsford Regional Hospital has received state-of-the-art equipment for maternal, child, infant and youth patients in care.

Elizabeth Harris, executive director of the Foundation, says she is “especially pleased to fund this simple and easy-to-use technology, which will most definitely help improve patient experience.”

The new vein finder is a hand held device that uses infrared light to help identify and locate veins beneath the skin, making the process a lot smoother than previous methods. The new easy-to-use equipment is safe, efficient and will definitely help create a calmer experience for patients.

One of the nurses of the unit described how thankful she was for the vein finder as “recently we had a patient in triage, and it was very difficult to see any of veins, but when we brought in the vein finder, we were able to easily find her veins and start her IV.” She added: “The patient was very happy.”

Dr. Lakhbir Jassal, donor relations, says: “By helping to quickly and efficiently locate veins and arteries, Fraser Health care teams are able to deliver excellent health care for even the smallest patients.”

The Foundation relies on the support of the community to help fund state-of-the art equipment and if you would like to support these projects, you are requested to contact: Lakhbir.Jassal@fraserhealth.ca and visit fvhcf.ca to learn more.