Tip #4. Invest in Vein Finding Technologies
In venipuncture, you have very little margin for error. That’s even more so the
case in patients with difficult-to-locate veins, such as pediatrics, or in those with
vascular damage, such as chronic steroid users and cancer patients undergoing
radiation therapy. You may want to consider investing in light-based and ultrasound
technologies that can help your staff visualize veins beneath the skin.
Sarah Johnson, RN, perianesthesia nurse manager at the Iowa City (Iowa)
Ambulatory Surgical Center, doesn’t have to imagine how much more effective
she’d be if she could locate the veins beneath the skin. She knows, thanks to the
vein illumination device her facility rents.
You slowly move the handheld device over the appendage in which you
want to start an IV, says Ms. Johnson. The device shines an infrared light that
lets you see the vasculature within that limb. “You can see the vein as it runs
down your arm,” she says. “You can see the bifurcations within the vein and
see if the vein is long enough to hold the catheter. This has been a huge help
for us in minimizing failed attempts, especially in those patients that are more
difficult to get IV starts.”

Read the entire Outpatient Surgery Article, which can be found on page 30.

AV300 units now in use at 10 Banner Health facilities

Long Island, NY — October 12, 2011 — AccuVein Inc., a global leader in medical imaging technology and the creator of the AV300, the world’s only portable, non-contact vein illumination device, announced today that it will be exhibiting at the Medica World Forum for Medicine Conference being held in Dusseldorf, Germany, November 16-19.  This “world medical trade fair” is  the largest conference of its kind anywhere and has been staged for more than 40 years. This year’s “World of Medica” Conference is expected to draw 4,300 exhibitors and host an estimated 137,000 visitors.

AccuVein will have its AV300 technology on display in the US Pavilion, Hall 16, Booth16/E40-13. The area is designated for Medical Technology, Electro-medical devices, surgical instruments and related products.

“Our activities at the world-renowned Medica World Forum for Medicine represent our efforts to continue to make vein illumination using the AV300 part of the industry standard of care worldwide ,” said Ron Goldman, AccuVein CEO. “We want healthcare providers  to recognize the vast potential and future medical imaging applications of our technology and this conference is one of the most effective ways to do that on a grand scale.”

AccuVein’s industry-leading and award-winning AccuVein AV300 vein illumination solution is in use at more than 1000 hospitals and available for sale in 88 countries.  The AV300 has been shown to improve peripheral vascular access for IV infusion by projecting a safe pattern of light on patient’s skin that reveals the position of underlying veins.

Venipuncture is the most common invasive medical procedure worldwide with an estimated 2.7 million procedures conducted every day in the United States alone.  Studies show that up to one third of these attempts to access a vein fail the first time, creating unnecessary patient discomfort as well as additional costs.

The AccuVein AV300 has received high praise from doctors, nurses, hospital administrators, patients and families for its ease of use, saving time and money and for improving patient care. The technology has also received numerous awards and widespread recognition from within the health care sector, including the top “gold” prize in the prestigious MDEA design competition as well as the 2011 Frost & Sullivan New Product Innovation Award.

About AccuVein Inc.

AccuVein Inc. is a global leader in medical imaging solutions. Its breakthrough product, the AV300, allows health care professionals to see a map of peripheral veins on the skin’s surface with the goal of improving vascular access procedures including blood draw, IV infusion and blood donation.

The AV300is the world’s only portable, non-contact vein illumination solution. It is built on AccuVein’s proprietary technology as embodied in its growing patent portfolio that covers a broad range of imaging and medical diagnostic technologies.

The Av300 is in use at more than 1,000  hospitals and available for sale in 88 countries worldwide. To see a demonstration of vein illumination with the AV300, please visit www.accuvein.com.

For more information and to speak with company officials, please contact Shep Doniger at 561-637-5750 or sdoniger@bdcginc.com.

EMS World Magazine is the leading monthly publication for the Emergency Medical
Services (EMS) market. The Top Innovations Awards recognize the industry’s most
innovative products of the year. EMS World Magazine selected the AccuVein AV300
from among hundreds of exhibitors at its EMS World Expo touting it as one of its
most innovative products of the year. In making their selections, the
publication seeks out products that help EMS professionals deliver outstanding
patient care.

“EMS specialists deliver patient care under the most extreme conditions. We are
proud of this recognition from industry professionals who provide such critical
care ,” said Ron Goldman, AccuVein CEO. “The AV300′s portability makes it
uniquely positioned to assist EMS professionals in bringing more accurate and
speedier patient care when time is of the essence.”

“Enerspect is focused on identifying emerging technologies that provide
significant clinical benefit for emergency responders. Feedback from key thought
leaders and early adopters indicated that AccuVein AV300 was clearly an
innovative and valuable technology for both patients and providers. We felt it
would be an excellent candidate for the EMS 2011 Top Innovation Award and are
truly pleased that EMS World granted the award,” said Dave Shelton, President
and CEO of Enerspect.

The AccuVein AV300 has received high praise from doctors, nurses, hospital
administrators, patients and families for its ease of use, saving time and money
and for improving patient care. The technology has also received numerous awards
and widespread recognition from within the health care sector, including the top
“gold” prize in the prestigious MDEA design competition as well as the 2011
Frost & Sullivan New Product Innovation Award.

AccuVein’s industry-leading and award-winning AccuVein AV300 vein illumination
solution is in use at more than 1000 hospitals and available for sale in 88
countries. The AV300 has been shown to improve peripheral vascular access for IV
infusion by projecting a safe pattern of light on patient’s skin that reveals
the position of underlying veins.

Venipuncture is the most common invasive medical procedure worldwide with an
estimated 2.7 million procedures conducted every day in the United States alone.
Studies show that up to one third of these attempts to access a vein fail the
first time, creating unnecessary patient discomfort as well as additional costs.

About AccuVein Inc.

AccuVein Inc. is a global leader in medical imaging solutions. Its breakthrough
product, the AV300, allows health care professionals to see a map of peripheral
veins on the skin’s surface with the goal of improving vascular access
procedures including blood draw, IV infusion and blood donation.

The AV300 is the world’s only portable, non-contact vein illumination solution.
It is built on AccuVein’s proprietary technology as embodied in its growing
patent portfolio that covers a broad range of imaging and medical diagnostic
technologies.

The AV300 is in use at more than 1,000 hospitals and available for sale in 88
countries worldwide. To see a demonstration of vein illumination with the AV300,
please visit www.accuvein.com.

For more information and to speak with company officials, please contact Shep
Doniger at 561-637-5750 or sdoniger@bdcginc.com.

About Enerspect Medical Solutions

Enerspect Medical Solutions, Inc. is located in Henderson, NV. With 30 years of
experience in the emergency medical response market, the Enerspect team offers
solutions focused on strengthening emergency response systems to improve overall
medical outcomes through training and innovative technology solutions.

For more information about the AccuVein AV300 and its successful application in
EMS, please contact Enerspect Medical at (888) 522-5574, or go to
www.enerspect.com.

By Aaron Rowe

November 3, 2011  

AccuVein AV300 Augmented Reality Vein Viewing System

World’s first and only hand-held, non-contact vein illumination device is among standout technology at world’s leading multi-disciplinary conference on the future of health and medicine

October 12, 2011 by MassDevice staff

Venipuncture – drawing blood or establishing an intravenous feed – is the most common invasive medical procedure. For many patients, it’s a painful exercise in frustration when clinicians struggle to find a blood vessel, sometimes requiring multiple needle sticks.

AccuVein and CEO Ron Goldman aim to change all that with the company’s AV300 vascular illumination device. The wireless, handheld module uses a pair of lasers to paint a patient’s arm with light, making otherwise invisible or hard-to-find blood vessels apparent to the naked eye.

“When you draw blood or insert an IV line without vascular illumination, you’re essentially going blind,” Goldman told MassDevice. “With vascular illumination, you simply shine it on the arm and you see the vasculature as though it’s painted right on the body.”

Goldman, an electrical engineer and patent attorney by training, told us he got his first indoctrination into the world of imaging technology as a patent lawyer in Manhattan in the early 1980s. The AccuVein AV300 is based on the principle that blood absorbs infrared light, Goldman said.

“We line up two lasers, one infrared and one red laser. We very simply are looking for where the infrared light is absorbed,” he explained. “It’s very simple, elegant technology.”

AccuVein drummed up $22.5 million in a Series B round in July, led by MVM Life Science Partners and Bessemer Venture Partners. The AV300 is cleared for sale in at least 88 countries worldwide, including the U.S., India, Russia, Japan and China.

Click here to listen to the MassDevice podcast interview with AccuVein CEO Ron Goldman

Long Island, NY, August 17, 2011 – AccuVein Inc., a global leader in medical imaging technology and the creator of the AV300, the world’s first hand-held, non-contact vein illumination device, announced today that the AV300 has been approved for sale in China by the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA). Hong Kong Fortune Life Trade Limited will be the exclusive distributor of the AccuVein AV300 vein finder in China.
With the addition of China, AccuVein’s AV300 vein illumination device is now available in 88 countries representing two thirds of the world’s population. The AV300 is already being sold in India, Russia, Japan and many other countries. For the full list, please visit http://www.accuvein.com/how-to-buy/international/.

“China is a country of 1.3 billion people where emphasis on quality healthcare continues to rise,” said AccuVein CEO Ron Goldman. “We are excited about the opportunity to positively impact patient care and reduce healthcare costs on such a large scale.”

Venipuncture is the most common invasive medical procedure, with millions of procedures conducted every day around the world. Studies show that up to one third of these attempts to access a vein fail the first time, creating unnecessary patient discomfort, as well as additional costs. The AV300 has been shown to improve peripheral vascular access for IV infusion by projecting a safe pattern of light on a patient’s skin that reveals the position of underlying veins. This can be particularly helpful on patients who have Difficult Venous Access (DVA).

About AccuVein Inc.
AccuVein is a global leader in medical imaging solutions. Its breakthrough product, the AV300, allows health care professionals to see a map of peripheral veins on the skin’s surface with the goal of improving venipuncture and other vascular access procedures. The AV300 is the world’s only handheld, non-contact vein illumination solution. It is built on AccuVein’s proprietary technology as embodied in its growing patent portfolio that covers a broad range of imaging and medical diagnostic technologies. AccuVein and the AV300 have received numerous awards and widespread recognition from within the healthcare sector, including the top “gold” prize in the prestigious MDEA design competition as well as the 2011 Frost & Sullivan New Product Innovation Award. AccuVein’s industry leading and award winning AccuVein AV300 vein illumination solution is in use at more than 750 U.S. hospitals and available for sale in 88 countries. To see the AV300 in action and for a complete listing of countries selling the AV300, visit www.accuvein.com.

About Hong Kong Fortune Life Trade Limited
Hong Kong Fortune Life Trade Limited specializes in the import and export of innovative, high-end medical devices. Partnering with medical institutions, hospitals, research institutes and business units, they are committed to promoting and popularizing high-technology equipment internationally. In order to guarantee the quality of the equipment they represent, Hong Kong Fortune Life Trade Limited works with proven, well-known international top- Fortune 500 companies including General Electric Company (GE), 3M of US, Olympus, and Nikon. For more information visit www.hkfortunelife.com

Virtually everyone who’s ever had a blood test has experienced this nightmare at least once: Prick, no vein, prick, still no vein, prick … those are all the extra needle sticks that happen when a nurse or other medical professional can’t find a vein to draw blood or insert an IV. The desire to prevent those painful jabs inspired a company, AccuVein, which started up in Cold Spring Harbor, NY, in 2007 and invented a tool that literally illuminates veins, so the caregivers who need to find them can do so on the first try.

On July 28, AccuVein raised $22 million in a Series B funding round that was led by MVM Life Sciences Partners and Bessemer Venture Partners. The company had previously raised an undisclosed amount from private individuals, says AccuVein’s founder and CEO, Ron Goldman. That was enough to build the product and get it into 750 hospitals in the U.S. The new capital, says Goldman, “will be used primarily to build out the sales team and acquire distribution partners overseas.”

AccuVein is based on a simple concept: Human blood absorbs infrared light, making blood vessels easily visible. “We detect with infrared light, then paint the arm with red light,” Goldman says. That causes the veins that would otherwise be concealed by skin to show up clearly on the surface. AccuVein’s product, called the AV300, is a handheld device that can be used in hospitals, or in mobile settings such as ambulances or military battlefields.

But Goldman wasn’t the first to hit upon the idea of illuminating veins—and that caused a dispute that put AccuVein’s future in question. In 2008, Memphis-based Luminetx filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against AccuVein. Luminetx also markets an infrared vein illuminator, though its device is a larger, standing unit. The two companies settled in 2009. Goldman, who has a background in engineering and intellectual-property law, won’t reveal the details of the settlement, except to say that AccuVein has an “irrevocable license” to market the AV300.

With hospital budgets tight and the healthcare system facing increasing pressure to cut costs under health reform, that marketing task is only getting more challenging for AccuVein. The company’s biggest competitor isn’t another device, Goldman says, but rather the status quo—all that pricking to find the wayward vein. So AccuVein has collected return-on-investment figures from its existing clients and used them to develop a calculator that any facility can use to determine whether it’s worth it to them to buy the device.

Goldman argues that the status quo is the more expensive option. “When you miss a vein, bad things happen,” he says. “The costs escalate.” That’s because specialists sometimes have to be brought in to insert catheters into patients whose veins are hard to find. “The cost can be $500 to $1,200 per patient,” Goldman says. The AV300 has a pricetag of $4,500. So even if a catheter procedure only costs $300 and the AV300 prevents just one such procedure per week, the device will pay for itself in about four months, AccuVein contends in a case study on its website.

Goldman adds that there may be intangible benefits, as well. “If you bruise a patient trying to find a vein, the patient ends up dissatisfied,” he says. “Patient satisfaction is becoming an important measure in healthcare.”

In addition to selling to U.S. hospitals, AccuVein is now marketing its device in 80 countries. But Goldman says the overall market is still largely untapped. “The need for vascular illumination is everywhere,” he says. “It’s important to be able to get that needle in, whether you’re on the battlefield or in an ambulance or working in home healthcare.”

Having MVM and Bessemer on board as funding sources will be critical, Goldman says, because both companies have experience managing startups through periods of rapid growth. MVM has invested in a number of medical-device companies, including Vascular Pathways and Solx. Bessemer has also been a player in the space, and in 1999 it sold two of its medical device companies—Endonetics and TransVascular—to Medtronic. “Their focus and expertise in healthcare is critical to us,” Goldman says.

AccuVein will invest some of the new money in developing other applications for its technology, Goldman says. The company has built a strong patent portfolio, which is focused not just on making veins easier to see, but on other medical uses that are too early to reveal, he says. “A lot of it is around illumination,” he says. “We’re making the invisible visible.”

Arlene Weintraub is the editor of Xconomy New York. She can be reached at aweintraub@xconomy.com and followed on Twitter @awjourn.