cannula
Americannoun
-
cannulas,
plural
-
cannulae
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of cannula
First recorded in 1675–85; from New Latin, Latin: “small reed,” equivalent to cann(a) “reed, cane” + -ula diminutive suffix; see origin at cane, -ule
Compare meaning
How does cannula compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
In medicine, a cannula is a very thin tube that's used to deliver medicine. A patient undergoing surgery will often have a cannula inserted into a vein so that anesthesia can be administered. If you've ever had an IV in a hospital or doctor's office, you've had a cannula, which is nothing more than the flexible tube that fluids or medication flows through. Donating blood or having a blood test involves cannulas as well — in this case, a small amount of blood flows from your vein into the cannula. This is a Latin word that means "small reed or pipe," from canna, "reed or pipe."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The sterile procedure would need to be temporarily halted while a nasal cannula with nasal prongs was placed in both nostrils and the delivery of oxygen was begun.
From Slate ● Jan. 29, 2025
The insulin pump is a small device - around the size of a deck of cards - which supplies a continuous flow of longer-acting insulin through a cannula underneath the skin.
From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2024
However, this requires a spinal tap with a cannula -- an invasive procedure with rare complications.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 25, 2024
“I don’t know how long I’ll indefinitely need the oxygen,” she added while gesturing toward her nasal cannula, “but you have no idea how blessed and how grateful I was for this holiday season.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2024
Even the nose cannula looks good on her when she smiles like that.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
I ripped it off, only to find it was my rebreathing bag and nasal cannulae.
From Slate ● Apr. 9, 2020
They hooked me up to a rebreathing bag and put nasal cannulae up my nose that pumped in pure oxygen.
From Slate ● Apr. 9, 2020
The infusion cannulae remained in place for 1 min after the infusion.
From Nature ● Mar. 21, 2017
First Litwak and his team insert two cannulae, or tubes, of flexible silicone into the patient's open chest.
From Time Magazine Archive
Forceps stylets should be removed from their cannulae, and the cannulae cleansed with cold water, then dried and oiled with the pipe-cleaning material.
From Bronchoscopy and Esophagoscopy A Manual of Peroral Endoscopy and Laryngeal Surgery by Chevalier Jackson
"He spent the next few weeks hooked up to antibiotics and fluids. His tiny veins kept collapsing from the cannulas," she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2024
It weighs between 60 and 200 pounds depending on the model, and is attached to the child with two cannulas almost as large as garden hoses.
From Science Daily ● May 7, 2024
For example, doctors are turning to nasal cannulas, which are noninvasive prongs that blow oxygen into the nose, before a ventilator.
From The Verge ● Jul. 8, 2020
If he fumbles around in the surge clinic trying to figure how to fit the oxygen cannulas over someone’s face, he tells himself, “They’ll teach me, and I’ll learn to do it.”
From Washington Post ● Apr. 6, 2020
A nurse rolled a cart with four praying-mantis-like arms toward the patient’s exposed belly and connected them to the cannulas.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 23, 2019
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