Gloved hands practising IV cannulation on a simulation vein pad, where early complications can be safely recognised.

Infiltration and extravasation: what current evidence says every IV practitioner should know

Peripheral IV therapy is one of the most common interventions in healthcare, and two of its most common complications remain widely under-recognised: infiltration and extravasation. Both involve fluid or medication leaking from a vein into the surrounding tissue, yet both can go unnoticed until a patient is already uncomfortable or harmed. The NIVAS Infiltration and Extravasation Toolkit, published in February 2024, together with an NHS national patient-safety campaign in 2023, put these complications squarely back on the agenda for anyone inserting or managing a peripheral cannula. For nurses, HCAs and clinical educators, that means revisiting some basics with fresh eyes, not because practice has failed, but because recognition can always be sharpened.

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Clinical equipment prepared for evidence-led vascular access assessment.

Ultrasound sterility and device assessment: questions to check against the evidence

A social-media comment raised two questions about ultrasound assessment of an indwelling vascular access device.

When is a sterile probe cover required, and what should an ultrasound assessment consider beyond the visible insertion site?

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Clinical skills equipment representing vascular access education and evidence review.

What the 2026 Post-WoCoVA programme signals for vascular access learning

Conference programmes can show where professional attention is moving, but they do not prove which interventions work.

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New Cochrane evidence: what it means for IV cannula removal practice

Should a peripheral IV cannula be replaced to a fixed timetable, or removed only when there is a clinical reason?

An updated 2026 Cochrane review brings together 14 randomised controlled trials involving 11,428 participants

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VeinTrain flat pack training material and WoCoVA Valencia programme

WoCoVA 2026 — What the Exhibition Floor Reveals About Where Vascular Access Is Heading

Walk the exhibition floor at any major clinical congress and you get a fast, unfiltered read on where the industry is heading. At WoCoVA 2026 in Valencia, that read was clear: the device landscape is getting more sophisticated, and the gap between what's available and what most clinical teams actually know about the kit they're using is getting wider.

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Device-specific vascular access training equipment used to support safe practice.

VeinTrain at WoCoVA 2026: Power Injectability and Why Device-Specific Training Matters

One of the sharper moments on Day 1 of WoCoVA 2026 in Valencia came in the Material Session, where Sergio Bertoglio from Gemelli University Hospital in Rome unpacked something that sounds straightforward but often isn't: what do we actually mean when we talk about power injectability?

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WoCoVA 2026 congress centre, Valencia, used as a general vascular access conference image.

VeinTrain at WoCoVA 2026: Why Better Systems Beat Better Habits in Infection Prevention

Day 1 of WoCoVA 2026 in Valencia also brought a session that every ward manager, infection control lead and vascular access trainer should have been in the room for. The GBUK industry symposium delivered powerful, data-driven evidence on infection prevention — and the message was clear: better systems beat better habits every time.

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Time for Change

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