No More Poking Around

By Trishanya Raju

Every few weeks we hear the familiar call to donate blood, and save lives. What makes us go back to these blood-drives over and over again? It’s likely the prospect of saving lives, the idea that there’s something that we can do to help people. What makes us apprehensive? I’d say it’s probably the prospect of the nurse pricking us all over to find a vein.

It’s not the best feeling, and it sort of throws a wet towel over the whole saving lives thing. So what do the scientists do? They invent a device that presents a glowing map of your veins right onto your arm.

Device is still in it’s trial phases in Australia, and looks a little like something out of a superhero movie (radioactive-y), but it’s supposed to be very safe. The way it works is that it shines an (almost) infrared light onto your arm. The deoxygenated hemoglobin that flows in your blood absorbs this light. This creates an eerie map of your veins, on your arm, so that nurses can see exactly where the needle should go in.

So there you have it, no more unnecessary pricking. Now what’s stopping you? 

To donate blood:
http://www.redcrossblood.org/donating-blood