Glove-like device helps improve care for cancer patients after success in research study

A new device for cancer patients will be used at University Hospital Southampton (UHS) after a pilot study.

Patients who are being treated for cancer often require cannulation. This common procedure allows medicines and fluids to be given directly into their bloodstream.

Cannulation involves inserting a thin, flexible plastic tube called a cannula into a vein. However, this can sometimes be challenging, requiring many attempts. This takes up valuable clinical time, and can be stressful for patients.

A study facilitated by the Southampton Emerging Therapies and Technology (SETT) Centre showed a device called Airglove could help.

Clinical teams at UHS are now looking to use Airglove to improve care for patients with cancer.

Making cannulation easier

The Airglove device gently warms the air around the patient’s hand and forearm through the double walled sleeve in three minute cycles at a pre-set temperature. This allows the veins to dilate, increasing blood flow and making them easier to find with maximum vein dilation.

SETT’s MedTech team were first introduced to Airglove Medical Ltd, who developed the device, at their annual SETT conference in 2024. They decided to conduct a pilot study of Airglove at UHS' Hamwic House Chemotherapy Day Unit.

The team at Hamwic House provide many treatments for patients with cancer that need cannulation. These include chemotherapy, systemic anti-cancer therapy and supportive infusions.

Staff were already using various techniques to dilate a patient’s veins to make cannulation easier. These included using electric heat pads and warm water immersion. However, they found these methods inconsistent, time consuming and difficult to standardise.

The SETT MedTech team supported implementation of the pilot study. They did this through clinical training, deployment planning and a structured evaluation process.

Changing clinical care

The study aimed to gather feedback from both staff and patients on their experiences using Airglove.

Staff reported being able to identify suitable veins more easily with Airglove. This meant they could achieve cannulation in one or two attempts with patients who presented challenges.

Airglove became an important tool that nursing staff used to reassure these patients. It meant they were able to consistently prepare veins before cannulation. This increased their confidence and reduced uncertainty.

Patient feedback was also positive. Those who had experienced both conventional methods and Airglove commented on the difference.

Staff said that Airglove helped to improve success rates with cannulation. This resulted in patients feeling more confident, with less anxiety and stress.

Since the study, Hamwic House Chemotherapy Day Unit and the Haematology Day Unit (C7) at UHS have submitted funding applications to enable the devices to be used routinely in clinical care going forward.

The hope is that this will save clinical time and improve the experiences of patients being treated for cancer at UHS.