#35: cannula god(dess)
21:59 11/03/2019
Cannulas are those funny pieces of plastic, that continually thwart us all on a regular basis.
However, got asked to do a cannula today on a chemo patient. One of the nurses had asked me as a favour, and I had a bit of time, so agreed to give it a go. You can only say that you’ll give it a go.
Don’t want to brag (but want to brag a little), but I nailed it first time.
I feel that I’ve come a long way since I first started FY1, not just with my confidence, but also with my technical skills. I can literally say to patients that I can’t remember how many cannulas I’ve done now.
So, in that vein (lol), just thought I’d share my few tips if anyone is interested!
1. Tie the tourniquet tight enough. Warn them that it won’t be pleasant, and it will be quite tight, but it generally does help.
2. Prep everything before you put the cannula in. There’s nothing worse than getting the cannula in and then realising that you don’t have an octopus to attach to said cannula. Especially at the start, I liked to run through the procedure as I prepped a tray to make sure I had everything.
3. Spend time looking for a vein. Don’t rush to stab the patient. Spend time looking for a decent vein, because you’re more likely to get it, and it’s also kinder to the patient. Explain this to the patient, and they’ll be a lot more grateful that they haven’t had an extra unnecessary needle.
4. The best veins in order of preference:
Ones you can feel and see
Ones you can feel
Ones you can see
Ones you used a veinfinder for (because you’re really desperate by now)
5. Pin that vein. You have two hands; use them! Use one to anchor the vein, because especially in elderly people, veins have a tendency to wiggle away.
6. Be confident. When you insert the needle, really be confident of your placement. You’ve spent the time looking for it, and you should be confident of your technique.
Good luck, and happy cannulating.
