Image: The Blackwell intravenous cannula insertion device (Photo courtesy of Oliver Blackwell).

A new device eases the pain of intravenous cannula insertion by automatically injecting a tiny amount of local anesthetic prior to the larger needle that follows.

The device is essentially two injections in one; the first one is virtually pain-free, thanks to a small needle, which administers around 0.2 mL of local anesthetic. After the local anesthetic has taken effect, the cannula needle can be painlessly inserted. A further benefit of the device is that it eradicates the risk of confusion or contamination by combining multiple steps into one, limiting mistakes and, hopefully, infiltrated veins. The device is the brainchild of industrial designer consultant Oliver Blackwell (Dulverton, United Kingdom), who developed the device with the help of two family doctors and a former president of The UK Royal College of Anaesthetists.

“We knew that doctors would not want an instrument that was hugely different to the ones they use now, hence we have kept it similar to an everyday cannula. But at the moment, if they want to use a local anesthetic they have to use two needles, find keys and go to the medicine cupboard separately, and it all takes time and effort,” said Mr. Blackwell. “Our design cuts down that process but still ensures the patient’s comfort, meaning they have less pain and the doctor isn’t dealing with a traumatized patient. It also eradicates the risk of confusion or contamination because hospital staff will only have one needle instead of two.”

“Nobody likes having injections, but in my line of work it tends to end up with a needle somewhere,” added Alan McGlennan, MD, lead obstetric anesthetist at the Royal Free Hospital (London, United Kingdom), explaining that children aged between three and 12 are particularly prone to needle phobia. “So much of it is perception rather than reality. For many people it's psychological.”
 

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