Venipuncture procedures commonly involve palpating veins on the inner arm. Despite its routine nature, the procedure remains a clinical challenge, especially for individuals with higher BMI values or darker skin tones who often do not have accessible veins due to poor visibility. Repeated failed needle insertion attempts cause vein rolling, bruising, risk of infections, and ultimately leads to fear or decreased trust in healthcare providers. This issue raised the need for a device that provided guidance for accurate vein location. Current vein visualization devices improve success rates, but were expensive, limited in imaging depth, and not consistent across all populations.
To address this need, we developed the Doppler Vein Locator as a non-invasive, ultrasound-based medical device designed to support medical personnel in locating veins for venipuncture. Utilizing doppler ultrasound, a method that applies the doppler effect to characterize blood flow velocity within blood vessels as a sound signal, the device sorts between venous and arterial sounds and determines the location with the highest amplitude venous signal strength to pinpoint the proper injection point. The Doppler Vein Locator aims to provide cost-effective yet reliable vein detection that rivals current industry standards of infrared-based detection with no patient discrimination.