Two devices acquired for treatment of dialysis patients

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(From fourth left) Dayang Reta and Lee thank Trinnah and all involved for the AccuVein sets (seen as two white devices).

MIRI: The state’s largest kidney dialysis centre, MRC Miri Chapter’s Kidney Dialysis Centre (KDC), received its first Accuvein Vein Visualisation System (AccuVein) recently – more than 20 years after it was set up.

AccuVein is a small device used for scanning the damaged veins of kidney patients or to treat fistula failure. It digitally displays a map of the vasculature on the surface of the skin in real time, allowing clinicians to verify vein patency and avoid valves or bifurcations.

As AccuVein enables more effective venipuncture with less discomfort to patients, many dialysis centres are incorporating it into their standard of care.

Inner Wheel Club (IWC) of Miri initiated the fundraising in July last year to buy the device costing about RM19,000 each.

On behalf of KDC, its chairman Datuk Lee Kim Shin received two sets of AccuVein from IWC Miri President Trinnah Estiva during a brief ceremony at the centre yesterday.

Among those present were the centre’s acting chief operation officer Dayang Reta Abdullah, donors including Lee himself, members of IWC Miri, volunteers and staff of the centre.

“On behalf of the centre, thank you to Inner Wheel Club, Miri, volunteers and donors. We owe a lot to the community, non-governmental organisations and NGOs as without their help and support we will not be able to run the centre. Now patients are increasing and more than 90 per cent need subsidised dialysis,” Lee said.

Trinnah who is a patient at KDC herself thanked all for the success of the project, saying their initial target was to raise funds for one set. But Lee personally donated another set so they ended up with two.

Dayang Reta who is also KDC Nursing Superintendent assured that their service would be enhanced with the two devices.

“With these two devices, patients especially those with damaged veins/fistula failure need not go to hospitals in Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur to get their veins scanned, as had been done in the past,” she said.

Currently 19 out of 320 patients at the centre need vein scanning.