Fabrication of an Upper Limb Intravenous Injection Venous System Model

Abstract

   This study aims to develop a venous system model for use in upper limb intravenous injection and infusion training. The method investigated the morphology of cadaver veins to determine the length, diameter, and wall thickness of the superficial veins in the upper limb. As a result, a model of the right upper limb venous system of a 40-year-old man was constructed. The internal diameter of the cephalic vein gradually narrowed from 4 mm to 1 mm, while the external diameter reduced from 12 mm to 9 mm. Four participant groups were selected to conduct two evaluation surveys. The first survey was conducted to assess the quality of a German-imported venous model, and the second one was conducted to evaluate the quality of the model developed by the author. Results have shown that increasing the vein wall thickness did not affect the model's accuracy when used in injection practice compared to clinical reality, since the 4 mm internal diameter was equivalent to the 3.98 mm internal diameter observed in cadaver veins. In conclusion, depending on the intended use of the venous model whether for intravenous injection, blood pressure measurement, heart rate monitoring, pulse detection, pulse counting, or catheter placement of the model should be designed with appropriate length, diameter, wall thickness, shape, and color.