Supporting intravenous cannulation in children with infrared light; A clinical evaluation of three systems.

In this study, we investigate three devices based on near-infrared light to visualize blood vessels, compared to a control group. Study population consists of children scheduled for elective surgery, obtaining an intravenous cannulation. Main outcome is success rate at first attempt.

To evaluate the usefulness of three near-infrared based devices for intravenous cannulation in children prior to surgery.

Measurements are made by self-report at the moment the procedure is performed. There is no follow-up of patients required.

The study consists of four arms: Three arms with one of the devices (the Accuvein, Veinviewer or the VascuLuminator) and one control arm with the standard procedure of intravenous cannulation. When one of the devices is allocated, it will be used during the procedure of intravenous cannulation. The study will be conducted as a pragmatic randomized trial. The operating room is the unit of randomization. Randomization will be performed by blinded envelopes, which will be opened by the investigator (NC) each day at 7.45 AM. The investigator will place the devices in the indicated operating room and provide CRF’s. One operating room will only receive a CRF and perform the procedure without device. Adaptive randomization will be used to guarantee that all three devices and the control group are equally divided among the different surgical specialties.