Change in Local Temperature of Venous Blood and Venous Vessel Walls as a Basis for Imaging Superficial Veins During Infrared Phlebography Using Temperature-Induced Tissue Contrasting

A possibility of fast, safe, and efficient imaging of superficial veins with a thermal imager is demonstrated in experiments with pigs, in studies with healthy adult volunteers, and in clinical observations of adult patients when providing vital medical care in emergency situations. The research describes the original techniques for infrared veins imaging enabling the authors to lay the basis for infrared venography. In order to image superficial veins , we suggest infrared monitoring of local temperature dynamics in the selected part of the body surface under the conditions of artificial multidirectional changes in temperature of veins and/or surrounding tissues. The chapter describes techniques for infrared imaging of the superficial veins in limbs and breast, and provides infrared thermograms of a hand, a forearm, a shoulder, a foot, and a breast, thus showing the prospects of superficial veins imaging using infrared phlebography and temperature-based “displaying.” It explains the essence of temperature-based veins “displaying,” developed by authors and called “temperature contrasting.” It describes the techniques for artificial changes in local venous temperature by changing the temperature of venous blood and/or artificial plasma extender, or by artificial cooling of the tissues surrounding the vein. It also shows the advantages of infrared phlebography over other radiology methods to address urgent and repeated imaging of superficial veins in critical situations to optimize intravascular access for sampling venous blood, its subsequent laboratory testing, and intravenous injections of medications.