Collapsed veins are a common injury that results from repeated use of intravenous injections.
They can result from intravenous chemotherapy[1][2] or when injection conditions are less than ideal, such as in the context of drug abuse.
[citation needed] Individual endothelial cells may change the structure of their cytoskeleton when a vein collapses to better deal with the increased shear stress.
Many smaller veins are created by the body to circulate the blood, but they are not adequate for injections or IVs.
Research into solutions for patients with difficult venous access continues.