Caring for your child’s cannula at home

What is a cannula?

A cannula is a short flexible tube which is threaded into a vein. Cannulas can be used to give intravenous (IV) antibiotics at home for 2 or 3 days and sometimes longer. Pain relief can be given for insertion of the cannula in the form of a cream applied to the skin where the cannula is to be inserted.

Looking after the cannula at home

It is very important that the cannula and dressings stay clean and dry to help prevent infection. Bathe your child in a shallow bath and cover the dressing and bandage to protect from splashes. You may like to ‘top and tail’ with your child in the bath to help prevent them from splashing too much. If the dressing does become wet, dry it with a clean towel. Please contact the outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT) nurse as a new dressing will need to be applied. Do not take your child swimming until it has been removed by your child’s nurse.

It is best if the cannula can remain covered, clothes with long sleeves are good for this and can help prevent the cannula getting caught or pulled.

If the cannula looks like it has come out or has moved let the OPAT team or community nurse know. This may mean you need to come back into hospital if your child is having home antibiotics. The nurses will check if the cannula can still be used or whether it needs replacing. The decision to replace will be made with your medical or surgical team.

Signs of infection

The nurse will look at your child’s cannula before each dose. In between this you should also look for possible signs of infection. These include:

• high temperature
• pain, heat or redness around the entry point of the line

What happens if the cannula comes out at home?

If the cannula comes out at home, apply pressure to the site for up to a minute to stop any bleeding then apply a plaster.

If the cannula comes out at night you can wait till the morning to inform the OPAT team. The OPAT team will arrange for you to come into the hospital for another cannula to be inserted or make a decision about whether your child can go onto oral antibiotics. This will be discussed with your own medical or surgical team.

Can my child attend school or nursery?

If your child is feeling well enough, they should be able to go back to school or nursery.

Check with your school or nursery first, some may want to know about caring for the line. We are happy to talk to the school with your permission. Your child can take part in most normal activities at school or nursery, but they should avoid vigorous exercise and contact sports.