How To Do Intraosseous Cannulation, Manually and With a Power Drill By Yiju Teresa Liu, MD, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Reviewed / Revised Oct 2020 | Modified Sep 2022 View Patient Education Indications Contraindications Complications Equipment Relevant Anatomy Positioning Step-by-Step Description of Procedure Warnings and Common Errors Aftercare Tips and Tricks References Topic Resources Intraosseous (IO) needle... How To Insert an Intraosseous... How To Insert an Intraosseous... Intraosseous cannulation is the placing of a sturdy needle through cortical bone and into the medullary cavity—to emergently infuse fluids and blood products into critically ill patients.