Time-domain optical coherence tomography and gelatin-based skin phantom as training tools for venipuncture

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging modality developed in the early 1990's for retinal imaging. Further modifications allowed OCT's to be used on other parts of the human body, and non-medical areas as well. Time-domain OCT (TD-OCT) basically is a Michelson interferometer with a low-coherence light source which enables non-invasive, cross-sectional visualization of the sample. In this paper, the researchers used the TD-OCT system, which uses a rotating reference mirror. Using this system in conjunction with fabricated skin phantoms, students of venipuncture can hone their skills on skin phantoms before practicing on actual persons. This helps in mitigating the potential risks inherent to the performance of invasive procedures such as venipuncture. Furthermore, the skin phantom is chiefly composed of gelatin with latex tubing used to imitate the veins. Such materials are cheap and readily available, allowing multiple phantoms to be fabricated easily. Preliminary results showed that OCT is a promising tool in imaging the tissue phantom and thus can be utilized for venipuncture training.