Syringes play a crucial role in the medical field. There are different types of syringes and each one of them is used for different purposes. Some of the common types of syringes used by a medical professional are disposable syringes, reusable syringes, safety syringes, and prefilled syringes.
Out of all the types of syringes, disposable ones are the best as they help avoid any kind of infection. Unlike other types, a disposable syringe is thrown away after use. In other words, they are not designed to be used more than once.
In this post, we will be discussing the different uses of disposable syringes. If you are a medical or nursing student, you may find this article helpful.
What are the different uses of disposable syringes?
A disposable syringe is used for various purposes. Some of the most common uses include:
- Used for vaccination
Reusable syringes pose potential risks of infection. According to a survey, about 30% of injections used for vaccination in developing countries are not sterilised. This increases the danger of infection. To avoid this from happening, medical professionals use disposable syringes. These syringes come with an internal metal chip. Once you fill the syringe and use it, the chip locks the plunger and thus, prevents you from refilling it again. These types of syringes are best for immunisation as they are safe to use.
- Used for extracting blood samples
Another use of a disposable syringe is the extraction of blood. When you go to a diagnostic center to get tested, they draw out blood using a disposable syringe. These types of syringes are commonly used for collecting blood samples from patients. Due to the disposable nature of syringes, they cannot be used again on another patient. This automatically reduces the risk of any infection.
- Used for injecting anesthesia
Disposable syringes are also used for administering anesthesia during an operation. Local anesthesia is administered by injecting the drug near the sensory nerves. This temporarily stops the conduction of pain signals to the brain. It is done using a disposable syringe. For those who don’t know first-ever anesthetic syringe was developed back in 1921. Since then a lot of improvements have been made including the addition of the harpoon.
- Used for injecting insulin
Insulin is needed by patients suffering from diabetes. In this case, a medical professional injects insulin into the patient’s body using a disposable syringe. They have special insulin syringes for administering insulin and these syringes should not be used for injecting any other medications. Reusing an insulin syringe is safer than sharing needles. That’s because it is used by the same person. However, it can be still very risky for some people due to various reasons.
So these are some of the common uses of disposable syringes. These are special types of syringes that are designed to be used only once. Even if you want to refill them, you cannot because of the metal chip inside them. The use of disposable syringes reduces the risk of infections.