If you have young children or a pet, you’ve likely experienced the challenge of getting them to take their medicine—especially in pill or capsule form.
But the truth is, dysphagia doesn’t discriminate by age or gender. In fact, one in six adults has reported difficulty swallowing pills.
Fortunately, most medicine available for children and adults can be crushed or has liquid alternatives. That means the medication can be painlessly self-administered using a syringe without a needle.
Keep reading to discover the various types of syringes without needles and their uses.
Varying Types of Syringe Without a Needle
The thought of a syringe or needle can be frightening for many people. The sharp snap of the latex gloves and the menacing glint from the tip of the needle is enough to make anyone head straight through the doors.
However, fear often exaggerates the sizes of syringes and needles. Most syringes range between 1/4 ml – 1 ml.
When people refer to syringes without needles, they’re typically referring to the type of syringe tip. There are various syringe types like insulin, tuberculin, and multi-shot syringes.
There’s also a safety needle syringe, also known as a retractable needle syringe. This has a built-in safety mechanism to protect the administrator from injury.
The only two syringes without needles that don’t refer to the tip type are oral and venom extraction syringes.
An oral syringe is typically used to measure and deliver medication to young children and animals directly into their mouths. Venom extraction syringes are designed to create a vacuum to suck out the poison without puncturing the wound.
Tip Types
- Luer Lock
A Luer lock syringe has a threaded tip that couples with a needle that needs to be twisted and secured on. This prevents the needle from being accidentally removed or slipping off.
- Luer Slip
Also referred to as a slip tip, the administrator must push the needle into the needle hub. This is commonly used for quick injection use because it can come off because it lacks a locking mechanism.
- Catheter
These are similar to Luer Slips but come with longer tapered tips. It’s commonly used for wound irrigation, cleaning catheters, or general tubing injections.
- Eccentric
Like the name, these syringes are a bit off-center. These are common for surface vein injections or any that require being as close to the skin as possible.
Measurement
Syringes without needles will use two types of measurements. They’ll either have millimeters (mm) or cubic centimeters (cc) marked on the barrel.
However, the graduations will be shown in units in certain types of syringes without needles. For example, consider the insulin syringe. Because it uses U-100 markings, a 1/4 ml insulin syringe can have 25 units, a 1/2 ml will have 50 units, and so forth.
Needles use a different form of measurement called gauge. This indicates the thickness or thinness of a needle, with a lower number indicating a wider diameter.
If you require using needles, it’s beneficial to read more about various syringe needle sizes if you have narrow or fragile veins.
The Perfect Syringe
Each syringe without a needle has its unique purpose and use. However, most people who require a syringe without a needle typically look for oral syringes.
These come in various sizes and have accurate measurements, making taking medication for yourself, your young child, or your pet a breeze.
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