Most of us can recognize an injection syringe with a needle sticking out of a long plastic body. It might be a childhood horror that many of you can never forget.
But you will soon realize that a syringe is an essential part of any medical treatment. Rather than dreading this small medical device, you also need to know how to use it. Most importantly, you need to know that not all syringes are the same and function differently. There are different designs to meet other purposes.
We discuss more on the topic so that you know when to use which syringe. This article explains how syringes and needles are sized. It will also provide some helpful tips for choosing the right size for the injection you need to give.
Choosing the Best Injection Syringe
If your doctor prescribes a drug to take at home, such as fertility drugs or hormones, insulin, epinephrine, vitamin B12 shots, or cancer medications, you will have some essential responsibilities.
You will also need to learn how to inject yourself with your medication safely. In addition, you will also need to know how to buy the needles and syringes. These items are sold separately. The design fits together securely.
It is crucial to choose the right size of syringe and needle to get the correct dose of medicine. The right size will also make the injection more straightforward and less painful.
Your doctor or a nurse will show you how to give yourself a shot at home. It will also include which syringes and needles to use. However, it helps to be familiar with the basic principles of syringe and needle sizing so you can avoid errors when it is time to replace them.
Syringe Sizes
Injection syringes are labeled based on how much liquid they can hold. There are usually two ways to measure them. If you are planning to inject your medication at home, you may need to select a syringe that should hold the dose you have been prescribed.
For example, if you plan to give yourself 3 cc of a drug, you may want to use a syringe that holds exactly 3 cc or a little more. If you use a syringe that can only hold 2 cc, you may have to inject yourself more than once. That is extra pain for no good reason.
On the other hand, if you use an injection syringe that holds 15 cc, it will be harder to see the cc markings. You could quickly end up giving yourself too much or too little medication.
Needle Sizes
Next, the needles are labeled differently than injection syringes. The packaging in the dental lab will have a number, followed by a “G,” and then another number. For example, a 22 G 1/2 needle has a gauge of 22 and a length of half an inch.
Needle Gauge
If you need to inject yourself with a small amount of medication, it will usually be less painful if you use a thin, high-gauge needle, not a lower-gauge, wider needle.
Note that a wider needle with a lower gauge is usually a better choice for larger amounts of medicine. While it may hurt more, a vast, low-gauge needle will often deliver the drug faster than a thin, high-gauge needle.
Choosing the Needle Gauge
Selecting needles by gauge size depends on the skin or hide thickness and also on the depth of the injection. The needle gauge is a series of numbers – in which the lower the number, the wider the diameter of the needle.
Otherwise, the higher the gauge number, the smaller the needle width. On the other hand, smaller numbers generally denote a larger diameter or width. Note that larger diameter gauges often have thicker needle walls and are more durable and stronger.
They provide for more viscous medications and also support denser skin penetration. So always select a lower gauge number when using a high viscosity medication. Fine gauge needles or ones with small diameter offer less pain for the patient.
The most common needle gauges used are 26 and 27. This gauge range adapts to all three types of injections – intramuscular, intradermal, and subcutaneous.
Needle Length
As far as the needle length is concerned, the best choice will depend on a person’s size. Meaning a small child would need a shorter needle than an adult. Where you are inserting the needle, it also matters. It means some medications can be absorbed just under your skin. In comparison others need to be injected into the muscle.
Subcutaneous injections go into the fatty tissue just below the skin. Hence these shots are fairly shallow. The needle you require is small and short. Typically one-half to five-eighths of an inch long is enough with a gauge of 25 to 30.
Whereas Intramuscular injections go directly into your muscle. As you know, your muscles are deeper than your skin. So the needle used for these shots should be thicker and longer. Needles with a gauge of 20 or 22 G and a 1 or 1.5 inches length are usually the best options.
You should seriously consider how much body fat the needle has to go through. It means a thin person might be able to use an inch-long needle. Someone heavier may need a needle that is an inch-and-a-half-long.
Injection Syringe – History
In its most basic form, a syringe can be described as a device used to draw up and transfer liquid (or gas) from one location to another using a reciprocating (piston) pump action.
It is unclear exactly when the syringe was first invented, but there are references to liquid transfer devices throughout history. For example, in the 17th century, the famous UK architect Sir Christopher Wren recorded that he administered opium and wine into the veins of dogs.
The first modern-day hypodermic syringes are used with a hollow needle. Thye can inject substances under your skin or into the veins (intravenously), draw up blood, etc.
However, a British citizen living in New Zealand Colin Albert Murdoch is credited with one of the most exciting developments in the history of the syringe – the invention of the plastic disposable syringe in 1956.
What Types of Injection Syringes are There?
First off, you can choose between a reusable or disposable syringe. In general, sterilized glass syringes can be reused, while disposable plastic syringes have such a design that they can be used just once.
In the past, syringes were often cleaned and then reused. However, after the invention of the plastic disposable syringe, the popularity of these types of injection syringes rose. Primarily due to their convenience factor. Also because of the fact that they reduced the risk of transferring blood-borne diseases – from the use of those contaminated syringes.
The high-quality syringes you can find in the market today are formed of three parts: a barrel, a plunger, and the tip. However, an injection syringe comprises two parts, wherein the tip is built in. You can also find them today.
Syringe nozzle types are:
- Luer Slip or Slip Tip – The tip allows a needle to be conveniently and quickly pushed straight to the end of the tip.
- Luer Lock – It allows a Luer Lock needle to be screwed onto the tip. It will enable the needle to be securely locked in place, thus ensuring no liquids can leak.
- Luer Slip Eccentric – your doctor will use it when you need to inject something parallel to the skin. The off-center tip is generally in line with the outer side of the barrel. Hence it is perfect for injecting into a vein or artery.
- Catheter – commonly used when injecting via tubing, flushing wounds. It is also used when using a slip tip needle that is too large to use a standard slip tip syringe.
Summary
If you have to give injections to someone else at home, understanding syringe and needle sizes can make that job a little easier.
As you might know, syringes can hold liquids or solids. You will see milliliters (ml) marked on the tube for measuring liquids. You will also see cubic centimeters (cc) for measuring solids. Always try to choose a syringe that holds the exact dose you need.
It is essential to know that needles are measured in different ways. The first number on a needle label is usually its gauge. That is how thick the needle is. So higher numbers mean thinner needles.
The second number on the label is the length of the needle of the injection syringe. Note that you will need a longer needle if the medication is supposed to go inside a muscle. You might also need a longer needle for larger adults.
If you need to give yourself or someone else injection shots at home, you or a family member should learn how to do so safely.
If you have questions regarding the same, reach out to the healthcare provider who prescribed the medication. You should know the basics of needle size labels as it will help you avoid making errors when you are giving the shot and replacing your supplies.
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