Hypodermic Needles
A hypodermic needle is a hollow needle commonly used with a syringe to
inject substances into the body. They may also be used to take liquid
samples from the body, for example taking blood from veins.
Why is it needed?
The need of a hypodermic needle arises when the substance/treatment may not
be absorbed by the digestive system or if the substance needs to be
instantly delivered into the body. The needle can be used for subcutaneous
injection, intra muscular injection, or intravenous injection. Hypodermic
needles are also used for injection into joints (intra-articular injection),
CSF (spinal injection) or into the skin itself (intradermal injection).
Single use needle
All hypodermic needles used present day are meant for single use as they
are difficult to decontaminate and need to be sharpened before reuse. Hence
all hypodermic needles are disposable. Further re-using or sharing needles
may lead to blood-borne diseases including AIDS and hepatitis C.
These needles are normally made of stainless steel, the end of the needle
is bevelled to create a sharp pointed tip for easier penetration.
Needle size
The size of a needle is stated as a gauge that is the outside diameter of
the needle. The length of the needle is stated on the packaging and its
gauge is often indicated by the colour of the plastic connector. For any
given gauge, various needle lengths are available .
There are a number of systems for gauging needles, including the French
Catheter Scale and the Stubs Needle Gauge for the color codes of hypodermic
needles.
| Gauge |
Out
Diameter |
Color
Code |
Needle
Length and Product Number |
| 1/2"(13) |
5/8"(16) |
1"(25) |
1-1/4"(32) |
1-1/2"(38) |
| 18G |
1.20mm |
Pink |
|
|
|
|
NA1838 |
| 19G |
1.10mm |
Cream |
|
|
|
|
NA1938 |
| 20G |
0.90mm |
Yellow |
|
|
|
|
NA2038 |
| 21G |
0.80mm |
Green |
|
|
|
|
NA2138 |
| 22G |
0.70mm |
Black |
|
|
|
NA2232 |
NA2238 |
| 23G |
0.60mm |
Blue |
|
|
NA2325 |
NA2332 |
|
| 24G |
0.55mm |
Purple |
|
|
NA2425 |
|
|
| 25G |
0.50mm |
Orange |
|
NA2516 |
NA2525 |
|
|
| 26G |
0.45mm |
Brown |
NA2613 |
|
|
|
|
| 27G |
0.40mm |
Grey |
NA2713 |
|
|
|
|
