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Nursing vocabulary · IV Therapy and Fluids

Cannula

Meaning in nursing, with examples

/ˈkænjələ/nounCore term

In nursing, cannula means: A thin plastic tube put into a vein, usually in the hand or arm, so that fluids, medicines or blood can be given through it.

In Turkish: branül, damar yolu, kanül

How it is used

Common in UK and Australian hospitals; US staff usually say 'IV' or 'peripheral IV'. Nurses insert, flush, check, re-site and remove a cannula and record the date it went in. The word is also used for other tubes, such as a nasal cannula for oxygen.

Example sentences

  1. Her cannula has been in for three days, so our policy says it needs re-siting.

  2. I couldn't get a cannula in. Could you have a try?

Common collocations

  • insert a cannula
  • remove a cannula
  • re-site a cannula
  • cannula site
  • peripheral cannula
  • IVShort for intravenous: into a vein. As a noun it also means the line or drip that puts fluid or medicine straight into a vein.
  • flushTo push a small amount of fluid, usually saline, through a cannula or line to check that it works, keep it open or clear medicine from it.
  • infiltrationThe leaking of IV fluid or medicine out of the vein into the tissue around the cannula, causing swelling, coolness and discomfort.
  • dripAn everyday word for a bag of fluid or medicine that flows slowly into a patient's vein through a tube, or for the whole set-up.
  • aseptic techniqueA set of working methods that stops germs from getting into a wound, a vein or another part of the body during a procedure.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: IV Therapy and Fluids

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.