Hypodermic needle
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Image:Hypodermic needle bevels.jpg Image:Syringe and hypodermic.jpg 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 a vein in venipuncture.
A hypodermic needle is used when the substance would not be reliably absorbed by the digestive system, as is the case with insulin and many other drugs or if the substance needs to be instantly delivered into the body. The substance can be injected just under the skin (subcutaneous injection), into a muscle (intramuscular injection), or directly into the bloodstream (intravenous injection). Less commonly, hypodermic needles are used for injection into joints (intra-articular injection), cerebrospinal fluid (spinal injection- intrathecal) or into the skin itself (intradermal injection).
Virtually all current hypodermic needles and their associated syringes are designed for single use because they are hard to decontaminate and require sharpening after repeat use. Re-using or sharing needles can transmit many blood-borne diseases including HIV and hepatitis C. Needles are normally used only once and disposed of in a sharps container.
Normally made of a stainless steel tube drawn through progressively smaller dies to make the needle, the end is bevelled to create a sharp pointed tip. This allows the needle to easily penetrate the skin. When a hypodermic needle is inserted, the bevel should be facing upwards.
The diameter of the needle is indicated by the needle gauge. Various needle lengths are available for any given gauge. There are a number of systems for gauging needles, including the Stubs Needle Gauge, and the French Catheter Scale. Needles in common medical use range from 7 gauge (the largest) to 33 (the smallest) on the Stubs scale. Twenty-one gauge needles are most commonly used for drawing blood. Although reusable needles remain useful for some scientific applications, disposable needles are far more common in medicine. Disposable needles are embedded in a plastic or aluminum hub that attaches to the syringe barrel by means of a press-fit (Luer) or twist-on (Luer-lock) fitting.
It is estimated that about 10% of the population may have a phobia of needles (Trypanophobia), mostly children.