Sarah Phillips & Mary Collins 
Venepuncture and Cannulation 

Venepuncture and cannulation are the most commonly performed
invasive procedures in the UK, and are everyday procedures in
health care practice. Venepuncture and Cannulation is a
practical guide to these procedures. It assumes no prior knowledge
and equips nurses and other health professionals with the clinical
skills and knowledge they need in order to confidently perform
venepuncture and cannulation in both hospital and community
settings.

* Explores relevant anatomy and physiology

* Covers education and training, as well as legal and ethical
issues

* Considers potential complications, and patient
perspectives

* Provides guidance on the selection of the appropriate vein and
equipment, and common blood tests

Table of Content

Foreword vi

Contributors viii

Introduction 1
Sarah Phillips and Mary Collins

1 Legal and Professional Issues 5
Lorraine Hyde

2 The Learning Experience 16
Sarah Phillips

3 Anatomy and Physiology 44
Mary Collins

4 Selection of Equipment 68
Mirjana Dojcinovska

5 Vein Selection 91
Barbara Witt

6 Infection Control and Risk Management 108
Sarah Hart

7 Procedures for Venepuncture and Cannulation 131
Annie de Verteuil

8 Complications 175
Wendy Morris

9 Introduction to Routine Blood Tests, Normal Values and Relevance to Clinical Practice 223
Andrea Blay

10 Patient’s Perspective 281
Lisa Dougherty

Webliography 297

Glossary 298

Index 304

About the author

Sara Phillips is lead nurse, Practice Education at the
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Trust.

Mary Collins is Lecturer Practitioner at St Mary’s NHS
Trust.

Lisa Dougherty is Nurse Consultant, Intravenous Therapy,
Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.