Except taken from the Eastern AHSN impact review 2020/2021, Katrina Wilson, Principal Advisor for Cancer at the Eastern AHSN

Airglove is a warm-air system that gently heats up a patient’s lower arm to widen blood vessels (a process known as vasodilating) and make cannulation easier for healthcare professionals. With extended courses of treatment such as chemotherapy, repeated cannulation is often required and can be difficult.

An economic assessment of Airglove found that it saved an estimated £64 per patient per year through reduced wastage and nursing time and most importantly, it improves the experience of vulnerable patients. Eastern AHSN supported the piloting of Airglove across 11 oncology departments in the region, all of whom adopted the innovation based on data from the pilots. Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust purchased 8 Airglove units for use by services beyond oncology to increase its adoption across the trust.

“Airglove has helped out with some really difficult cases where we would sometimes have to move to central lines” Nurse at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge

As a result of the MacMillan Cancer Support event we are currently in discussions with another local NHS Trust to pilot and adaption of the innovation to improve circulation in the lower limbs. Find out more about Airglove and read the full article here