STEM Venipuncture: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math - applied to the Venipuncture procedure.
Vein Access Technologies
a division of The Nurses' Station, P.C.
The only organization in the
World to teach, consult, and train in the 21st century techniques of locating, dilating, grading, and accessing veins for any and all venipuncture procedures. And Vein Access Technologies is the only one in the World to teach the advanced 21st century Point-of-Care Infant Heel Stick and Finger Stick Technique. |
"It's hard to believe that in spite of all of the highly
sophisticated tools that exist today to perform venipuncture and POC procedures, that these procedures still result in compromise, complication, injury and failure - but they do. Why? Vein Access Technologies has the scientific explanations and the scientific solutions to these problems." M. Gail Stotler, Vein Access Technologist |
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NO MORE "Rubber Hose and a Thump" !
NO MORE Smacking, Slapping, Flicking, or Tapping !!
NO MORE 'Stick and hope you hit something and keep sticking until you do' !!!
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The NEW Vein Access Technologies' STANDARDS OF CARE
for Venipuncture and Point-of-Care procedures are here.
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The NEW Vein Access Technologies' STANDARDS OF CARE
for Venipuncture and Point-of-Care procedures are here.
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As the title states: Where Tools, Technique, and Science meet!
- The TOOLs of the trade have always been scientifically designed and SCIENCE-based.
- The TECHNIQUES by which these Venipuncture (VA) and POC procedures are performed today are NOT science-based - truly. I know this is hard to believe, but today's venipuncture and POC procedures are performed with 'evidence-based' technique, not science-based technique. Evidence-based, in this case, means trial-and-error, anecdotal and empirical practices that have been 'handed down' over time and tweaked by each individual performing the procedure.
- SCIENCE is the key to unlocking this conundrum: Anatomy of the Vein, Physiology of the Venous System, Chemistry, Physics, and Math. VAT took this Science and applied it. This has never been done before, until now. Why? VAT has that explanation as well.
Vein Access Technologies took SCIENCE
and applied it to the use of the TOOLS in the Vein Access (venipuncture) and POC procedures
producing new TECHNIQUE.
21cVA Technique * 21POC Technique
Vein Access (venipuncture) Point-of-Care (POC)
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Grab a non-alcoholic beverage and have a seat......this is NOT a short story!
Vein Access has been a mess for 1600 years, through the bloodletting era with a razor
in the 5th-19th century, through the current 19th-20th century 'stick and hope you hit
something and keep sticking until you do' era with a needle, until TODAY -
when it all changes for the better with the 21st century Technique and VeniCuff tool.
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23 years ago Vein Access Technologies scientifically analyzed the venipuncture and point-of-care procedures, and wrote the book
The Science Behind the Skill of Vein Access
which explaines all of the problems with the current methods, and defines a better way, a new Technique, to perform all venipuncture
procedures (i.e blood draws, IVs, injection of contrast, blood donation, plasmapheresis, kidney dialysis, and PICC line insertions), and a better way to perform the point-of-care (POC) procedures (the finger stick and infant heel stick) - 23 years ago!
Old Habits Die Hard! It's time to come into the 21st century!
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Listed below are the problems with the 'evidence-based' methods currently used.....and the EVIDENCE suggests that there are many problems with the current methods....and here they are.....
The Compromises, Complications, Injuries, and Failures (c/c/i/f s)
associated with today's Venipuncture and Point-of-Care procedures.
The Compromises, Complications, Injuries, and Failures (c/c/i/f s)
associated with today's Venipuncture and Point-of-Care procedures.
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Again, "It's hard to believe that in spite of all of the highly sophisticated tools that exist today to perform venipuncture and POC procedures, that these procedures still frequently result in compromise, complication, injury and failure - but they do.' M. Gail Stotler, Vein Access Technologist The magnitude and the gravity of these problems, and the fact that it covers 3 major disciplines in the practice of Medicine (Nursing, Radiology, and Laboratory Medicine) is a BIG story. If this had been a medical research study - the study would have been stopped immediately due to the magnitude and gravity of the problems, and the negative impact that it has on the medical outcome. Venipuncture procedures (collection and infusion) and POC procedures (collection) are the technological FOUNDATION of the diagnostic and therapeutic practice of Medicine. With this many errors in these foundational procedures, the medical outcome can be compromised, and frequently is. To see a 12 page bibliography list citing 159 select articles written on these very c/c/i/f s, fill out the request box at the bottom of this website. |
These compromises, complications, injuries, and failures (c/c/i/f s) listed above AFFECT:
Nursing Radiology Laboratory Medicine
RNs / LPNs / X-ray Techs / MLTs / Phlebotomists / Paramedics / Medical Assistants
Blood Draw - Phlebotomy Blood Donation PICC Line Insertions
Injection of Contrast Plasmapheresis Finger Stick - POC
IV Kidney Dialysis Infant Heel Stick - POC
Every healthcare worker who performs venipuncture and/or POC testing was left to figure out on their own
how to use the tools, how to locate veins, how to insert needles into veins, and how to collect the specimen or
infuse the biologic.
The PRE-venipuncture components (identifying a patient by their name bracelet......) and
the POST-venipuncture components (labeling tubes and applying bandaids....)
have been described and are taught in great detail.
But the detail of VENIPUNCTURE (and POC testing) - is missing and/or inaccurate.
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Here are some Scientific examples:
Example #1 Current ‘Standards of Care’ call for smacking, slapping, flicking, or tapping - to dilate a vein (for the purpose of locating a vein).
Here’s some of the ‘missing science information’ that is needed for this analysis.
Per Gray’s Anatomy – the vein has an innervated smooth muscle media; pg. 1131,
from the 1901 unabridged running press edition of Gray’s Anatomy. Presented in 1858.
Per general Physiology, if you ‘pain’ stimulate an innervated muscle, contraction occurs.
When the above A&P science is applied to this 'smacking, slapping, flicking, and tapping' that occurs, vasoconstriction will occur –
and it does. That's why they can't find the vein - it got 'smaller', not larger. That's why they can't see blood, even if they were in the
vein. That's one factor contributing to the multiple stick event - 'stick and hope you hit something and keep sticking until you do'.
Per Gray’s Anatomy – the vein has an innervated smooth muscle media; pg. 1131,
from the 1901 unabridged running press edition of Gray’s Anatomy. Presented in 1858.
Per general Physiology, if you ‘pain’ stimulate an innervated muscle, contraction occurs.
When the above A&P science is applied to this 'smacking, slapping, flicking, and tapping' that occurs, vasoconstriction will occur –
and it does. That's why they can't find the vein - it got 'smaller', not larger. That's why they can't see blood, even if they were in the
vein. That's one factor contributing to the multiple stick event - 'stick and hope you hit something and keep sticking until you do'.
Example #2 The current teachings teach that the '.....vein itself has no innervation....' pg 18, Phlebotomy for Nurses.
- If it’s not innervated- then why teach that smacking, slapping, flicking, or tapping will produce dilatation?
- If it’s not innervated – then smacking, slapping, flicking, or tapping will not produce – anything!
- If it is innervated – then s/s/f/t will produce vasoconstriction!
- IT IS INNERVATED!!!!! Don't smack, slap, flick, or tap!
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AND NOW WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THE CURRENT TOOLS......
Tourniquet * Needles * Tubes * Adapter * Contrast Injector
Vein Finder * Ultrasound * Nanobot * Prep Agent
No matter which NEW TOOL
or which 'tweaked to the nth degree' OLD TOOL is used
- these problems still exist.
WHY?
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Because these scientifically designed tools must be used with scientific technique.
ADD THE 21cVA Technique TO ALL TOOLS!
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As you are beginning to see - it's a LONG story - that has had 1600 years
to become the convoluted conundrum that it is -
with all of the compromises, complications, injuries, and failures.
It's time to bring SCIENCE into the picture.
Where Tools, Technique and Science meet!
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As you are beginning to see - it's a LONG story - that has had 1600 years
to become the convoluted conundrum that it is -
with all of the compromises, complications, injuries, and failures.
It's time to bring SCIENCE into the picture.
Where Tools, Technique and Science meet!
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What's next?
Who should perform these procedures?
How should they be done?
List of Vein Access Technologies' articles:
How Does Venipuncture Differ In The Elderly?
Abstract Venipuncture in the elderly population seems to present its own set of problems, a different set of problems, than the problems encountered in the rest of the population. There are more multiple stick
events, more misses. Veins seem to ‘roll’. There are more ruptured veins upon venipuncture that the rest of the population. Bruising occurs more frequently, and in much more severity. And infiltration of IVs is more
pronounced in the elderly population than in any other. Why? The aging anatomy of the vein and the physiology venous system must be carefully and thoroughly considered in venipuncture of the elderly; something
that has not been clearly identified, defined or explained up to this point in the history of vein access. This article addresses that and even provides scientific solutions to the problems.
If It's Not Palpable, It's Not Stickable!
Abstract We’re talking about the vein. There are many “misses” in vein access. They miss on the blood draw. They miss on the IV. They miss when injecting contrast. They miss with the blood donation. They miss!
In 2008, in hospitals alone, there were 174 million vein access failures out of the 263 million ordered. Visualizing a vein, with the naked eye or with a vein finder tool, didn't improve the situation essentially at all. What
is missing? If the vein is not palpable, in accordance with the new Vein Access Technologies' Standards of Care for Venipuncture, then that vein is not 'stickable', and should not be accessed.
WARNING! The Infant Heel Stick Method of Pinching the Baby’s Foot Back to Its Shin Must Stop - Immediately!
Abstract The current heel stick method for infants is completely unnatural. It does not utilize any of the laws of nature or the limits of anatomy and physiology; in fact, it does just the opposite. This causes
unnecessary injury to the infant's Achilles Tendon and to the soft tissue of the heel, and at least 50% of the time results in a laboratory specimen that cannot be used due to hemolysis, hemodilution, and/or insufficient
quantity sampling - thus requiring a second, third, or fourth attempt – and more injury.
Natural Dilatation vs. Artificial Dilatation
Abstract Dilatation is dilatation. Or is it? What part of the Anatomy and Physiology of the Vein is missing from the current teaching literature about dilating a vein with respect to venipuncture procedures?
Today's teaching materials about the vein are limited to the vascular diagram (the vascular tree), depicting and labeling the veins and the names of those veins in the antecubital and wrist regions. But this is barely the
tip of that iceberg. There is an advanced level of anatomy and physiology of the vein and venous system that needs to be considered when trying to dilate a vein and in understanding the effects of that vein dilatation -
natural and artificial. There are consequences - good consequences when the vein is naturally dilated and bad consequences when it is artificially dilated with a Tourniquet.
Vein Access Technologies is an approved 2014
Clinical Laboratory Personnel Committee Continuing Education Provider
by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners
Clinical Laboratory Personnel Committee Continuing Education Provider
by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners
Vein Access Technologies offers CEs - for all medical personnel with the purchase of
VAT Articles or Vein Access Technology Training Programs.
VAT Articles or Vein Access Technology Training Programs.