Evaluating the use of the Cleo 90 infusion set for patients on a palliative care unit

Although the use of subcutaneous infusion is common in palliative care, problems can occur. Normally, butterfly needles are used; however, there are occasional issues with patients being able to walk around or with restless patients who suffer from delirium. In these cases, needles often dislocate; therefore, a small observational study was undertaken to evaluate the use of the Cleo 90 infusion set. The use of this needle system has been well established in diabetic patients who require continuous subcutaneous infusion of insulin, but has never been tested in a wider range of patients with other medications. In this 6-month study, 45 patients were identified for subcutaneous infusion and a total of 112 needles were used for this study, since we initially changed each site after 2 days to control the local site for adverse reactions. We have not observed any complications with drug combinations delivered via the attached tube and the needle, and have used up to five different drugs mixed together in a single syringe. Needles could be used for a mean time of 5 +/- 2 days (range 2-12 days). Local site reactions have been observed only with sodium chloride infusions, which were not delivered via a pump system. Reddening and induration of the skin occurred, but they were reversible after removing the needle. As this was a small study in only one unit, without standardization the results can only be observational. However, it has shown, for the first time, that the Cleo 90 needle can be safe and comfortable.