Definition of "cannulate" [cannulate]

• To insert a cannula into (a bodily cavity, duct, or vessel), as for the drainage of fluid or the administration of medication. (verb-transitive)
• Tubular; hollow. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "If nothing else, I'll be fast and careful when I try to cannulate a patient. written at 4: 02 p.m."
• "How on earth are we supposed to cannulate a patient or if necessary give medication rectally unless they are sufficiently restrained?"
• "Poke a half a centimeter higher toward the patient's head, you might hit the high-pressure artery rather than the low pressure vein and bleeding will compress the target vein, making it very difficult to cannulate."