Uncommon case of an obstructed intravenous cannula

Abstract

Citation: Werpachowska E, Kannan S, Bulso V. Uncommon case of an obstructed intravenous cannula. Anaesth Pain & Intensive Care 2014(18(4):471-472

New ‘safety’ cannulae have been introduced in practice which provide passive automatic protection against needle stick injury. They have a built-in mechanism which is activated upon removal of the needle from the cannula and covers the sharp needle tip. There have been no reports of structural defects in such cannulae causing problems. We report an instance where in spite of a successful intravenous placement with a safety cannula, it was unusable and had to be replaced.