Non Invasive Vein Visualization device

Non-invasive detection of a particular vein for carrying out an intravenous (IV) procedure can be cumbersome, especially on people with thin veins or who are obese or patients with damaged skin. Pediatric patients {newly born babies} also belong to this class of people because their veins are extrem

Project Title

Non Invasive Vein Visualization device

Project Area of Specialization

Biomedical Engineering

Project Summary

Non-invasive detection of a particular vein for carrying out an intravenous (IV) procedure can be cumbersome, especially on people with thin veins or who are obese or patients with damaged skin. Pediatric patients {newly born babies} also belong to this class of people because their veins are extremely thin due to their infancy. In case of extreme emergencies involving the aforementioned patients, it becomes difficult to feel/detect specific veins for carrying out the IV procedure, and the delay in treatment may become life-threatening. Clinical staff often finds it difficult to locate the desired vein in pediatric patients. More than one procedures at one instance sometimes horrifies the patient. 
In the modern days, the need for a more deep research had become essential on the topic. Vein detection is among the latest techniques being researched today to resolve this issue. The technology being developed involves the use of infrared (IR) rays to illuminate a vascular region, which is then observed using an infrared camera. The technology aims to improve the healthcare standards by eliminating the stick count, and increasing the staff productivity, patient satisfaction and overall clinical workflow. 
By using the aforementioned device, the results achieved were quite encouraging besides indicating the huge market potential for the technology. The results obtained showed that the technology was quite helpful in detecting the veins of quite a large number of population, where the population belonged to different age groups.

Project Objectives

Introduction:

Detection of veins in patients can be very difficult depending upon various factors, such as thin veins, fatty deposits, skin color or skin damage. In case of emergencies involving aforementioned patients, it sometimes becomes difficult to carry out an IV procedure in time, and the delay in treatment may become life-threatening. Procedures involving such cases call for a solution which can help the healthcare professionals in determining the exact location of a desired vein. 
According to a locally conducted survey, it has been observed that at an average, two attempts are required for finding out a proper vein to carry out IV procedures. Multiple attempts or wrongly-administered injections might result in bruising, swelling of skin, nerve damage, and blood clotting.

Hence in order to solve the above mentioned problems occuring in vein visibility we decided to make a device by the help of which we can easily see the veins of any type of patient. Our objectives of the project are mentioned below:

• To develop a technology that would help the healthcare professionals in performing the intravenous (IV) procedures in a risk-free way. 
•  To analyze the effect of infrared radiations in the blood.
• To develop a technology that is not only cost effective but also provides results similar to its competitors

Project Implementation Method

Methodology:

The method devised to approach the solution requires the use of infrared radiation to illuminate the vascular region of interest. This image received is then processed in the controller and sent to the display. The display can be of multiple types, where the output can be displayed on a separate LCD, a TFT touch screen mounted on the controller, or a pico-projector which would display the image back on the arm. The methods used to process the image are basically contrast enhancement algorithms, which include Windows Levelling, Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE). These algorithms are implemented using the OpenCV, whereby OpenCV provides extremely efficient algorithms for image processing. 

Benefits of the Project

The benefits of this Non-Invasive vein detection and visualization device are following:

• Once the veins are visualized an appropriate injection site can be determined based on the patient’s own vasculature. This can help the care-giver to avoid any potentially problematic structures and it can be used to select the appropriate needle gauge based on the patient’s vein size.
• In general surgery the device can be used to locate and avoid veins to minimize bleeding.
• In vascular surgery the device can be used to locate veins, find the source or feeder veins, visually verify the efficacy of treatment, and in the consultation to show the patient the veins that will require treatment.  With cosmetic injectables avoiding facial veins can be very useful in minimizing bruising and possible migration of the injected fluids. 
• This device is suitable for every type of patients like those with dark colour complexion, or patients whose skin is damaged due to any accident and also for aged patients whose vein visibility is almost impossible. This device will show the veins of such patients easily so the cannulation and IV procedure can be accomplished easily.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

Final Deliverable:

The final deliverable would be a fully working prototype, which would not only be cost effective but also light weight. It will also be portable for easy transportation purposes. The major components of the final deliverable prototype would contain an array of IR LEDs, an IR camera, an image processing unit and a pico-projector. 

Technical details of main components used:

IMX219-160 IR Camera

• 8 Megapixels;Supports NVIDIA Jetson Nano Developer Kit;Supports night vision when works with infrared LEDs
• Lens specifications: CMOS size: 1/4inch; Aperture (F): 2.35; Focal Length: 3.15mm; Angle of View (diagonal): 160 degree; Distortion: <14.3%
• 4 screw holes: Used for attachment; Provides 3.3V power output; Supports connecting infrared LED and/or fill flash LED; Dimension: 25mm × 24mm
• Combined with the Jetson Nano AI computer, this camera suits for AI projects such as: Face recognition; Road mark detection; License plate recognition

RASPBERRY PI 3

Raspberry Pi is being used as an image processing unit. Raspberry Pi is a linux-based computer board, which can be used as a standalone device for embedded system applications

The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B is the third generation Raspberry Pi with a 64-bit 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, WiFi (b/g/n), and Bluetooth 4.1!

PICO PROJECTOR

Pico-projector is a palm sized projector which is used to project the image back on the arm. Since the central point of the image being captured by the camera is different than that being projected back, hence some sort of calibration is needed to make the central point of captured image and the projected image same.

Final Deliverable of the Project

HW/SW integrated system

Core Industry

Medical

Other Industries

Education

Core Technology

Others

Other Technologies

Artificial Intelligence(AI)

Sustainable Development Goals

Good Health and Well-Being for People

Required Resources

If you need this project, please contact me on contact@adikhanofficial.com