New Smart Glasses Allow Nurses To See Veins Through Skin 124
Lucas123 writes "Epson and Evena Medical today unveiled a new smart-glass technology that allows nurses to see 'through' a patient's skin to the vasculature beneath in order to make intravenous placement easier. The Eyes-On Glasses System is based on Epson's Moverio Smart Glasses Technology, an Android-based, see-through wearable display launched earlier this year that allows users to interact with apps and games. The glasses use near-infrared light to highlight deoxygenated hemoglobin in a patient's veins and capture the images with two stereoscopic cameras. The cameras then project the vein images onto the see-through glass screens. The glasses can store the images and video and transfer them wirelessly to a patient's electronic health record, and they also come with dual built-in speakers for video conferencing."
Hey, if this means... (Score:5, Interesting)
Had to go into the hospital for the first time in ages the other day, and it took about five or six sticks -- including the kind where you can see them feeling around for anything once the needle's already in you -- before they hit the vein. And I'm skinny, as well, at least in the places where they stick me. Can't begin to imagine what it's like if your veins are invisible.
This is hardly new (Score:4, Interesting)
We already have technology that does this. We have hand-held devices that shine near-infrared light through the skin and make the veins show up just fine.
They have significant problems, which this system shares. Most importantly, they show *all* veins, including all the ones which can't be cannulated because they are too small, too fragile, or too badly scarred. You have to palpate (feel) the vein to assess whether it's suitable, and if you can palpate it, you don't need to see it at all.
Also, they really only work at all on caucasian skin.
Further, this system is kind of ridiculously expensive. Even though the prices have dropped on commodity displays, microprocessors, 3G and wifi, and all those bells and whistles, it's still a complex piece of gear. We may as well pay for a bedside ultrasound which costs no more, is more precise, and is useful for a lot more than just IV starts.
Re:This is hardly new (Score:3, Interesting)
> Further, this system is kind of ridiculously expensive.
Part of that is because the FDA forces such extreme controls over who can buy them and own them. It cost us more than $10k of background checks, both for the hospital and several individuals that would have access to it, before we were allowed to purchase it. I don't know how much more the storage cabinet that weighs just over 500 pounds cost. Even after that, we can almost never use it because the FDA requires it be kept in that locked cabinet with very strict access controls and logging. Also, the local police objected to it vigorously. The device can make it easier for heroin users to find veins so in the view of the FDA and law enforcement, the device is drug paraphernalia and should be illegal. It's the same reason we were forced to put blue tinted lights in the bathrooms of the hospital. By not doing so they claimed we were encouraging illegal drug use. Somehow the cops think we're criminals and deserve to be put in jail if we use normal fluorescent lights. Cop logic makes no sense.