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?

Rules Without Numbers

There are two legislative frameworks that apply to power-injectable devices — ISO 10555-1:2023 and the European MDR 2017/745. Here's the issue: neither specifies actual pressure limits.

The ISO standard covers manufacturing specifications and testing protocols, but without defining pressure values. The MDR requires manufacturers to declare safety characteristics, but again without indicating specific limits. So we have rules, without the numbers that would make those rules immediately actionable at the bedside.

What that means in practice: clinicians need to know their specific device, its manufacturer-declared limits, and what the clinical implications of exceeding those limits are. Generic training — "this is a power-injectable line" — isn't enough. Device-specific training is the only kind that actually protects patients.

The Training Implication

This is something VeinTrain has always held to. The skill of IV cannulation and venepuncture doesn't exist in isolation from the device being used. Understanding what your line can handle, why those limits exist, and what happens when they're exceeded — that's clinical knowledge that has to be built in, not bolted on.

As the device landscape gets more complex and regulations more demanding, the gap between generic training and device-specific competency only grows. The organisations that close that gap are the ones with systems in place — structured training, documented competency, and regular updates as devices and standards evolve.

More from WoCoVA 2026 to follow.

VeinTrain delivers venepuncture, cannulation and IV training for NHS trusts, independent clinicians and healthcare organisations across the UK. Find out about our organisational training programmes.