It took just one puncture, instead of dozens, to get blood from 8-month-old Anthony Tello recently because of new technology

By Matthew Walberg
Tribune staff reporter

Hector and Rosa Tello stood silent as staff at Hope Children's Hospital in Oak Lawn prepared to draw blood from their 8-month-old son, Anthony.

Born with a heart defect, Anthony has spent more than three quarters of his life in the hospital, so his parents are old pros at handling the inherent uncertainty of a neonatal intensive care unit.

That doesn't make it easier to see a needle inserted into the back of their boy's tiny hands.

But this time was different. A new machine cast a green square of light on Anthony's hands, highlighting every kink and curve of his vein structure. The phlebotomist got a vein on the first try in each hand and, five minutes later, Anthony was in his mother's arms, sleeping.

All the machine does is show where a vein is. But for a child like Anthony, whose veins are covered by a layer of baby fat, it's the difference between one needle prick and a half-dozen or more.

"That was quick this time," said Hector Tello, 40, of Hammond. "A lot better than before."

"In the past, they were just poking him a lot, and they couldn't find the vein," said Rosa Tello, 35, as she slowly swayed from side to side, rocking her son. "He was very uncomfortable and, as his parents, we were getting uncomfortable. I remember one time, they were trying to get a needle in and I had to leave the room. I just couldn't take it."

Hector Tello added: "One time I counted -- he had 25 [needle] stabs on his arm."

The machine, called VeinViewer, projects invisible near-infrared light on skin, penetrating as deep as eight millimeters. Hemoglobin in the blood absorbs the light, while the rest is reflected back to the machine, which shows an image on the skin with the location of the veins.

Although VeinViewer can be used on a patient of any age, it's particularly helpful for babies and for elderly patients, whose veins are thin and flat and more easily damaged, said Lynn Mohr, inpatient clinical nurse specialist at Hope.

"For Anthony and kids like him, one of the problems is that from 6 to 18 months old, it's really difficult to find their veins because they have so much subcutaneous fat," Mohr said.

And though the machine's primary purpose is to minimize pain and trauma, that in itself can provide a significant health benefit: Patients are less likely to be agitated.

"The more times the nurse tries, the anxiety level goes up," she said. "And for some kids, the anger and anxiety goes up so much that it can actually make their condition worse because of the stress."

Mohr said the machines, made by Luminetx in Memphis, Tenn., cost nearly $25,000 each. That may cause some hospitals to decide against them in favor of equipment that meets more urgent medical needs.

But, she said, "when you look at the cost against what it's going to do for families, it's pretty minimal."

"The No. 1 complaint on pretty much every patient survey nationally is multiple IV attempts, when the nurses have to stick you over and over and over," said Sean Treacy, a sales representative for Innovative Medical Services, which sells the VeinViewer.

Managing pain makes for a more satisfied customer, hospital officials suggested.

"It's not a critical piece of medical technology like a life-support machine," said hospital spokeswoman Deborah Song. "But the fact of the matter is that there's a strong movement to providing compassionate care. That's the next benchmark.

"From the consumer standpoint, I'm not only looking for the best doctors, the best devices, I'm looking for, 'Do you care about me?' " Song said.

Treacy and Mohr said the machine requires virtually no training to operate, unlike ultrasound, which also can be used to "see" veins. It operates hands-free on a 6-foot, 6-inch-tall stand with a boom that can extend from one side of the patient's bed to the other.

Hope has bought six VeinViewers, most of them for use in the pediatric wards and one for use in the adult emergency room. Mohr and Luminetx officials said several other hospitals in the Chicago area have either purchased the machines or are researching them.

"It helps because you're not second-guessing yourself," said John Mejia, the phlebotomist who drew Anthony's blood. "I rely a lot on feel, but this is just another tool ... to make sure that we get it right the first time."