Introduction: Peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) are indispensable in modern care but are frequently complicated by superficial phlebitis and needle‑stick injuries (NSIs). Reported phlebitis rates of 18–35% and >385,000 annual NSIs in the U.S. underscore the clinical and occupational burden and the need for simple, objective, point‑of‑care safeguards. We designed an anti‑needlestick IV cannula that integrates continuous skin‑temperature monitoring to enable early phlebitis detection while mechanically preventing NSIs.
Methods: A functional prototype was built with three modules: (i) a medical‑grade stainless‑steel automatic needle cap (anti‑needlestick mechanism), (ii) a digital skin‑temperature sensor with ±0.5 °C accuracy mounted near the insertion site, and (iii) a low‑cost microcontroller that executes a threshold algorithm and drives a staged LED alarm. The algorithm triggers a steady LED when temperature rises ≥2 °C above the patient‑specific baseline and a blinking LED at ≥4 °C. Performance was evaluated in bench tests using a controlled local heat source to mimic the inflammatory response; baseline temperature was recorded before challenge. Outcomes included temperature change, algorithmic detection, processing latency, time‑to‑physiologic rise, and mechanical protection success rate.
Results: Baseline skin temperature was 25.1 ± 0.4 °C. Under simulated inflammation, mean temperature increased to 28.2 ± 0.5 °C. The system correctly identified both the ≥2 °C and ≥4 °C thresholds and issued the appropriate LED alerts. Processing latency from threshold crossing to alarm was <1 s, while the physiologic temperature elevation emerged 5–15 min after the onset of the thermal challenge. The automatic cap prevented needle penetration in 100% of bench tests.
Conclusion: Integrating an anti‑needlestick mechanism with on‑board skin‑temperature monitoring offers a low‑cost, practical approach for simultaneous NSI prevention and early, objective surveillance of phlebitis in PIVC use. Bench testing demonstrates rapid detection, clinically meaningful thresholds, and complete mechanical protection, supporting further engineering refinement and prospective clinical validation.