Local warming does help when inserting cannulas

doi:10.1136/bmj.325.7371.1038

BMJ 2002;325:1038 ( 2 November )

Letters

Local warming does help when inserting cannulas

EDITOR $---$ Lenhardt et al say that local warming improves the success rate for insertion of peripheral cannulas.¹ For peopleworking in a busy outpatient chemotherapy unit, insertion of peripheralcannulas is a core activity and can be extremely difficult, particularlyin patients who have had repeated courses ofchemotherapy.

Until recently we asked patients to immerse their hands in warm water. This manoeuvre was not always successful because bythe time patients had returned to their chair and dried theirhands, any benefit was rapidly reduced. This led us to investigateother forms of local warming methods, which included proprietarywheat filled bags. These can be readily purchased in many giftand health shops. A donation of a sack of wheat has enabled usto provide a number of wheat filled bags easily and cheaply. Removablecotton covers have also been made to facilitate laundering. Eachbag measures approximately 150 cm×50 cm and is heated in the microwaveon high for 2 minutes. This method also reduces the number ofattempts atcannulation.

Our own inhouse approach has provided us with an effective low cost option and has now been fully adopted. It may be thatfurther research is needed to compare other methods used withindifferent clinical areas to provide data for evidence basedpractice.

Jeanette Beer, clinical nurse specialist, chemotherapy.
Department of Clinical Oncology, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Lincoln County Hospital, Lincoln LN2 5QY jeanette.beer{at}ulh.nhs.uk

1.	Lenhardt R, Seybold T, Kimberger O, Stoiser B, Sessler DI. Local warming and insertion of peripheral venous cannulas: single blinded prospective randomised controlled trial and single blinded randomised crossover trial. BMJ 2002; 325: 409-410[Abstract/Free Full Text]. (24 August.)

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Comparison of treatment effects between animal experiments and clinical trials: systematic review: Pablo Perel, Ian Roberts, Emily Sena, Philipa Wheble, Catherine Briscoe, Peter Sandercock, Malcolm Macleod, Luciano E Mignini, Pradeep Jayaram, and Khalid S Khan
BMJ 2007 334: 197. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Local warming and insertion of peripheral venous cannulas: single blinded prospective randomised controlled trial and single blinded randomised crossover trial: Rainer Lenhardt, Tanja Seybold, Oliver Kimberger, Brigitte Stoiser, and Daniel I Sessler
BMJ 2002 325: 409. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

Perel, P., Roberts, I., Sena, E., Wheble, P., Briscoe, C., Sandercock, P., Macleod, M., Mignini, L. E, Jayaram, P., Khan, K. S (2007). Comparison of treatment effects between animal experiments and clinical trials: systematic review. BMJ 334: 197-197 [Abstract] [Full text]