When injecting insulin, choose the right needle

When diabetic patients who usually take insulin treatment use an insulin pen to inject insulin, they must have an indispensable item - a needle.

LAXNE:

Don’t look at this tiny needle. Choosing an insulin needle that suits you is a big step towards successfully injecting insulin. An ancient saying goes: If a worker wants to do his job well, he must first sharpen his tools. Today, Medical Pigeon is here to teach you how to choose a suitable insulin injection needle.

First, let’s correctly identify the model of the insulin needle - the current insulin needle models are 30g×8mm, 31g×5mm, 32g×4mm... Among them, g represents the diameter of the needle, which is what we commonly call the thickness. The larger the number in front of g, the smaller the diameter of the needle, that is, the thinner the needle. The diameter of 32g is about 0.23 mm, the diameter of 31g is 0.25 mm, and the diameter of 29g is 0.33 mm; mm is the length of the needle, which is the maximum length that can reach the subcutaneous area. For example, 30g×8mm means a needle with a diameter of 0.25 mm and a length of 8 mm. The commonly used insulin injection pen needles in clinical practice are as shown in the figure below.

The thinner the needle, the corresponding increase in resistance to insulin flow will slow down the injection speed, so a greater injection force is required to achieve the original injection speed.

Commonly used clinical needles for insulin injection pens

LAXNE:

Generally when we choose needles, the shorter the needle, the higher the safety and generally better tolerance. However, some special circumstances vary from person to person. Statistics show that among obese patients, short needles (5mm, 6mm) are as effective, safe, and tolerable as long needles (8mm, 12.7mm).

Secondly, we must correctly choose an insulin injection needle of appropriate length and thickness.

Generally speaking, 4 mm needles are the safest. Except for young children and very thin adults, others do not need to pinch the skin and penetrate the skin vertically, regardless of age, gender, fat or thin. It is the safest injection pen for adults and children. needle.

"Sugar mothers" (referring to pregnant women with abnormal blood sugar during pregnancy and needing insulin treatment) if they inject insulin into the abdomen. It is recommended to choose a 4mm needle. Because the uterus expands during pregnancy, the fat layer in the abdomen becomes thinner.

For adult patients who are unable to master the skin pinching technique (children under 6 years old) or tilt the injection, as well as thin adults, it is also recommended to choose a 4 mm needle.

Because when using a >4 mm needle, you must use the correct skin pinching technique or tilt the needle to avoid intramuscular injection. When using a 4 mm needle, except for young children and very thin adults who need skin pinching, other people do not need to do so. Pinch the skin, and insert the needle vertically regardless of whether the skin is pinched or not.

When faced with needles exceeding 4 mm, we must be more cautious in the following four aspects.

When using a 6 mm needle, you can inject at a 45° angle or pinch the skin for injection;

If you use a 6 mm or longer needle to inject in the upper arm, be sure to lift the skin, and someone else will need to help with the injection; avoid pushing the needle hard or even forming a skin indentation, otherwise it will increase the risk of intramuscular injection;

Obese patients or patients who are unable to hold an insulin pen with a 4 mm needle due to hand tremors or other obstacles can use a longer needle (6 mm or 8 mm), but they must correctly pinch the skin or tilt the injection according to their body shape and injection site;

Patients who have a psychological burden on insulin injections and are afraid of pain or fear can choose short needles.

Insulin needle insertion angles of different lengths

In short, when choosing a pen needle, the most important thing is the suitability, which should be considered based on your age, body shape, injection technology, economic conditions, etc.

No matter what size needle is chosen, the ultimate goal is to inject insulin into healthy subcutaneous adipose tissue. Be sure to avoid injecting into the skin, muscles, scars and fat hyperplasia tissue, otherwise the therapeutic effect of insulin will be affected.

At the same time, the injection site must be rotated correctly every time you inject. All models of pen needles are single-use and should be avoided for reuse. If you can't decide which type of needle to use, you can ask a specialist to evaluate it and make a reasonable choice.