Comfort in cannulation for patients going through cancer treatment
For many patients coming to the hospital for chemotherapy or blood tests related to their cancer diagnosis, it can prove difficult to find a vein. Chemotherapy treatments can result in the hardening and thickening of veins, making them unsuitable for IV line insertion. This means that a deeper vein must be identified in order to insert a cannula and continue treatment. For some cancer patients, there may only be one arm that is suitable for cannulation.
An ultrasound-guided vein finder is a crucial and highly helpful tool in these circumstances in order to accurately locate a suitable vein and cannulate with the minimum of discomfort. With your help in 2024, we were able to invest almost €15,000 in vein viewer technology, which is now available for the first time in St. Vincent’s Ward and the Oncology Haematology Day Ward.
As you can see in the photograph, this piece of technology projects a live image of the veins and tissues on the patient’s skin, meaning that often only one attempt to find a vein is needed, instead of multiple.
This enhancement means more comfort for patients going through cancer treatment, as it is less intrusive and ultimately less distressing. By quickly and smoothly finding a vein, cannulation can be completed with ease.
This is the very first time that a vein viewer has been available for use in St. Vincent’s Ward and the Oncology Haematology Day Unit and employing this piece of technology in the busy day ward in particular has myriad benefits.
Throughout cancer treatment, a patient’s comfort and overall experience are paramount—and with the use of the vein viewer, procedures become less stressful, helping to ease what is already a challenging journey.