Why do I need a special syringe to inject insulin?

When it comes to diabetes, everyone must be familiar with it. Relevant data show that as of the end of 2019, the total number of people suffering from type 2 diabetes in my country was approximately 120 million. When blood sugar control is still unsatisfactory through the standardized use of oral hypoglycemic drugs, insulin injection becomes an inevitable choice for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Many people may not know that injecting insulin requires the use of a special syringe. What is the difference between an insulin syringe and a regular syringe? How to use it? Today, An An will introduce to you some knowledge about insulin syringes.
Why do I need a special syringe to inject insulin?
Insulin syringe, as the name suggests, is a syringe specially used for injecting insulin. It usually consists of four parts, namely needle cap, injection needle, syringe, and propeller.
The reason why a special syringe should be used to inject insulin and cannot be replaced by an ordinary syringe is because the scale units marked on the two are different. The scale marked on the special insulin syringe is insulin units, while the scale marked on the ordinary syringe is milliliters. The smallest unit of an ordinary syringe is usually 0.1 ml, which is equivalent to 4 units of insulin after conversion. However, the insulin dose that most patients need to inject is not an integer multiple of 4. Therefore, if a regular syringe is used, the patient not only needs to convert doses and volumes, but it is also difficult to accurately draw the required dose.

What types of insulin syringes are there?
Insulin syringes on the market mainly include ordinary insulin syringes, insulin injection pens, and needle-free insulin syringes.
Ordinary insulin syringes are designed and manufactured according to single-use standards. They are plastic products with exquisite workmanship, sharp needles and clear graduations. During insulin injection treatment, try to ensure one change at a time.
Insulin injection pens are divided into prefilled insulin injection pens and insulin injection pens with replaceable refills. Insulin prefilled injection pens are disposable products and can be discarded together with the pen after use. The pen body of the insulin injection pen with replaceable refills can be used repeatedly, but the needle is disposable and needs to be replaced with new refills and needles after use. The insulin injection pen can be carried with you and is easy to use.
The needleless syringe uses high pressure to make insulin penetrate the surface of the skin in the form of a "liquid needle" and penetrate into the subcutaneous tissue to complete the injection with light pain and accurate dosage. Since the physical needle is removed, the patient's psychological pressure and mental burden can be reduced. In addition, needle-free injection is sprayed in the form of mist at high speed, and the diffusion and absorption are relatively uniform, which can avoid the occurrence of induration to a certain extent. However, needle-free syringes are relatively expensive and have high economic costs.
It should be noted that there are many types of insulin, and all have specially matched insulin syringes. Insulin syringes cannot be used indiscriminately and must be used with the corresponding insulin, otherwise it may lead to inaccurate insulin dosage and unstable blood sugar. At the same time, insulin syringes from different manufacturers cannot be used universally.

What precautions should be taken when using an insulin syringe?
Patients need to wash their hands before injecting, check the insulin type and injection dose, drain the air from the syringe, select areas with more subcutaneous fat, such as both sides of the abdomen, upper outer thighs, etc., disinfect the skin with alcohol cotton balls, and wait for the alcohol to After drying, pinch up the injected skin with your thumb, index finger, and middle finger. Insert the 4mm needle vertically, and inject the 6mm needle at a 45° angle. Push the liquid forward, hold it for a few seconds, slowly pull out the needle, and press with a cotton ball. There is no need to massage the injection site. It should be noted that when injecting insulin, the injection site must be rotated frequently, and the interval between each injection point should be more than 1 cm. Avoid repeated injections at the same site, otherwise it will easily lead to local subcutaneous fat atrophy or hyperplasia, affecting the absorption of insulin. In addition, avoid using alcohol-based reagents to wipe the needle tip. Alcohol will remove the coating on the needle tip, roughen the needle core, and increase pain during injection.

For unused insulin that has been opened, it can be stored at room temperature in a cool, dry place below 25 degrees Celsius, away from light and heat. The shelf life of insulin stored at room temperature after opening should generally not exceed 4 weeks. If the insulin is unopened and will not be used in a short period of time, it is recommended to store it in the refrigerator at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius and not in the freezer. Do not place it in the refrigerator close to the wall of the refrigerator, otherwise the insulin may be damaged due to freezing; do not place it next to the refrigerator door. Repeated opening and closing of the refrigerator door can cause insulin to oscillate repeatedly, which will affect the potency of insulin and lead to a decrease in hypoglycemic effect. .