Intravenous cannula

From Ganfyd

An intravenous cannula is a medical device designed to dwell in a vein as a means of administering intravenous drugs and fluids. They are essential in venous access:

• Peripheral venous cannulation
• Central venous access
• Venous cutdown

Several design variations exist, but most are based on the cannula-over-needle design. In this, the needle is used to puncture the vein and position the cannula, after which the needle is removed, leaving only the plastic cannula in situ. Other design variations:

• plastic wings
• presence of a top port

Proprietary names for intravenous cannula include Abbocath™, Venflon™ and Optiva™.

Unused cannula with needle and cap in place

Cannula with partially withdrawn needle

Cannula by itself