Copyright © Françoise Herrmann
More than 1.4 billion vein punctures are performed each year, with about 33% failing access the first time, especially for children, obese people, the elderly, and people with heavily pigmented skin (National Center for HealthStatistics). Repeat attempts at finding a vein also create pain and discomfort for patients, as well as an increased risk of infection and complication (Leipheimer et al., 2019).
In response to the problematic situation of failed vein access attempts, aka “difficult vein access” (DVA), the Twistlight is a hand-held, light-assisted application aid, designed to increase first-stick access to veins. The device makes it easier to detect veins, even veins in bad condition, and assists with the insertion of an IV line thanks to its integrated catheter feed.
The Twistlight invention, masterminded by Tina Zimmer, is recited (in German) in the UN World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) patent, WO2016091956A1, titled Application Device. Below, the official translation of the invention abstract, together with Figure 2a, one of the referenced patent drawings, depicting the application device in use on a patient arm. An image of the marketed device is also included.
The invention relates to an application device (1) for the light-based finding of a peripheral vein, and the subsequent execution of a venipuncture in the region of a skin surface (4) of a patient, comprising at least one light source (2) and a catheter holder (6) for holding a catheter (2), wherein a support surface (7) is provided for supporting the application device (1) on the skin surface (4), and at least one part (8) of a transmission surface (9) for transmitting the light beams (10) generated by the light source (5) into a tissue located under the skin surface (4) is arranged in the region of the support surface (7). The invention also relates to a catheter application assembly, a catheter assembly and a carrier element having a catheter holder, as well as a single-use protective sleeve for a carrier element. [Abstract]
References
https://www.jamesdysonaward.org/en-US/2017/project/twistlight/
German Design Award 2017
Leipheimer, J.M., Balter, M. L. , Chen, A.I., Pantin, E. J., Davidovich, A. E., Labazzo, K. S., and M. L. Yarmush1 (2019). First-in-human evaluation of a hand-held automated venipuncture device for rapid venous blood draws. Technology (Singap World Sci). 2019 Sep-Dec; 7(3-4): 98–107.
National Center for Health Statistics, N. National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2016 Emergency Department Summary Tables
National Center for Health Statistics – FastStats
Tina Zimmer - Twistlight
No comments:
Post a Comment