EziVein
Simplifying Venous Access in High-Pressure Care Environments

What clinical challenges is EziVein designed to address in practice?

EziVein is a medical device designed to improve vascular access by increasing first‐attempt cannulation success in high‐pressure clinical settings. It focuses on simplicity, speed and usability in real‐world conditions.

IV cannulation and blood draws are among the most common procedures performed across hospitals and care settings. But in environments already facing staff shortages and time pressure, securing reliable venous access often presents practical challenges at the point of care. Clinicians frequently struggle to identify the right vein on the first attempt, as multiple patient and situational factors complicate what should be a routine step in care delivery.

An estimated 35 per cent of patients have difficult vein access (DVA), a condition in which veins are hard to locate or cannulate due to factors like dehydration, anxiety, fragile veins, age, obesity or skin tone. Clinical protocols often limit clinicians to the first and second attempts before escalation, increasing pressure at the point of care.

EziVein was developed to address these challenges head-on, bringing greater precision and consistency to vein detection.

A clinically validated vein detection solution, EziVein is a low-cost, disposable, hands-free device that provides visual assistance during blood draws and IV cannulation. Designed for precision and ease of use, the device is leveraged across emergency departments, paediatric units, military ambulances, general practitioner settings and home infusion therapy.

“Vascular Access is a small moment in care but can have a huge impact on workflow and patient outcomes,” says Marie Casey, CEO.

A Device Shaped by Frontline Reality

How did frontline clinical realities influence EziVein’s development and design evolution?

EziVein emerged from Casey’s exposure to the reality in point-of-care environments. With a background in industrial design and a master’s degree in public health, she has spent more than a decade observing clinicians struggle with venous access. The challenge was particularly noticeable in accident and emergency departments and paediatric units. There is also a significant economic cost burden to healthcare (Gala et al 2024).

In many settings, especially during weekends or peak periods, specialist IV nurses and advanced detection equipment are not readily available, forcing clinicians to wait or escalate. In addition to this, repeated failed attempts can leave patients distressed and, in paediatric settings, create anxiety among parents while prolonging the treatment.

While working at a healthcare facility, Casey noticed blue lighting installed in bathrooms as a deterrent to injecting drugs. This observation led her to explore the science of light wavelengths and their interaction with skin and blood vessels.

By reversing this principle and applying longer wavelengths, specifically red and amber light, she identified an opportunity to see and locate veins easily. Early prototypes, roughly the size of a credit card, were developed and tested in collaboration with biophotonics specialists at MTU and University College Cork.

Over time, the concept evolved into a compact device with longer-wavelength illumination that interacts with haemoglobin to increase contrast beneath the skin.

Testing demonstrated improved vein visualisation in approximately 80 per cent of use cases across a wide range of skin tones and vein depths, supporting its applicability in diverse patient populations.

Why Polychromatic Light Changes the Equation

How does polychromatic transillumination differ from traditional projection vein detection technologies?

Most vein detection technologies rely on near-infrared projection, which casts a reflected image of veins onto the skin’s surface. While effective in some cases, projection-based systems struggle with depth perception, darker skin tones and deeper veins.

EziVein takes a different approach. Using transillumination and polychromatic light, the device allows longer wavelengths to pass through tissue, where they are absorbed by haemoglobin. This improves contrast beneath the skin rather than projecting an image onto it, giving clinicians clear visual cues and a more reliable sense of vein depth.

The result is a more intuitive understanding of vein location. Supporting early intervention helps clinicians act in the critical minutes of care rather than waiting for interventions like an ultrasound.

Designed with Clinical Workflow in Mind

EziVein’s most significant differentiation lies in how it fits into the clinical workflow. Each unit is pre-sterilised, battery-powered and ready to use straight from the pack. It fits directly into an IV tray. Clinicians can scan the hand to identify the healthiest vein and avoid valves.

Once identified, the backing is removed, and the device attaches directly to the skin using medical-grade adhesive. This hands-free design allows a clinician to complete the cannulation procedure without assistance, eliminating the need for a staff member to hold a light or device.

In DVA scenarios, procedures that can otherwise extend well beyond 20 minutes are often completed more efficiently. By improving early vein identification, EziVein helps clinicians reduce delays in access, allowing treatment to begin sooner and easing stress for both patients and care teams.

With no specialised training required beyond standard clinical practice, the device is particularly valuable during staffing shortages or in environments where highly experienced clinicians are not always available. Multiple units can be stacked in IV trays or emergency kits at the start of a shift, ensuring access even in high-volume or mass-casualty scenarios, something that is rarely feasible with shared capital equipment.

Built for Safety and Scale

How does EziVein’s design support infection control and global scalability?

Infection prevention is central to EziVein’s design philosophy. It eliminates cross-contamination risks associated with shared devices and removes the operational burden of cleaning and maintenance. It also prevents potential injection site impurity caused by accidental contact with the hand or needle. A thin protective film acts as a physical barrier, preventing dust from compromising device integrity. Preventing and reducing CRBSs is essential in preventing serious complications (Humar et al. 2000)

The wireless, battery-powered design requires minimal maintenance and is easy to store and deploy in emergency departments, ambulances and community care settings. By avoiding capital equipment models, EziVein makes essential clinical tools accessible in well-resourced hospitals as well as underserved and resource-limited settings.

“Medical devices shouldn’t be designed for well-resourced healthcare systems alone,” says Casey. “If something can be effective, affordable and easy to use, it has the potential to improve care everywhere.”

EziVein is progressing through the appropriate U.K. and EU regulatory pathways to support expanded clinical use in the U.K. and internationally. It is currently in the final design optimisation and clinical validation in acute care settings. A patent is granted in Europe, a Unitary State and pending in the USA.

EziVein is supported by experienced advisors across clinical medicine, regulatory and commercial strategy, providing structured oversight as the company advances through validation and prepares for market entry.

By focusing on one of healthcare’s most persistent operational challenges, EziVein demonstrates how workflow-led innovation can reduce strain on clinical teams. This approach has contributed to its recognition as the Top Vein Detection Device of the Year 2026, reflecting growing interest in practical technologies that improve everyday clinical practice.