If you are a diabetic patient then it is definite that you inject artificial insulin daily. When you inject doses daily then your injecting gadgets must be really good and health-friendly. So, the choice of insulin and pen needles is crucial at this stage. The fear of injecting needles into the body is not rare so companies have done their best to provide less painful or pain-free needles for regular users.
What are the Pen Needles?
The insulin pen needles are usually overlooked and less talked about accessory of diabetic patients but are the most important actually. These small sharp pen needles are designed to be attached to the prefilled pen so the user can use it at any time. Almost all pen needles from all the companies are covered twice for security purposes. The first seal would be seen on the back side to cover the whole needle and the second cover can be seen on the tip of the needle with plastic capping.
The size of the Needle
These insulin pen needles come in different lengths and gauges. The choice of needle size depends upon the user’s convenience and the doctor’s prescription. The size of the needle is the actual part that goes into the skin and delivers the insulin through fatty tissues. If it is not of proper size according to your body type or delivery need then it can cause worse conditions for diabetic patients.
- a) Length of Needle
Insulin pen needles are available in a variety of lengths from 4 millimeters to 12.7 millimeters. The shortest pen needles are available in 4mm by Novofine. Although, it is medically suggested to use shorter needles so they can penetrate into the skin painlessly and delivers insulin into the fatty tissues. If we go with longer, one then can It can cross the fatty tissues and delivers insulin in muscles tissue which would be not so acceptable by your body. Well, this is better to decide the size of the needle with the consultation of your doctor and by keeping the body mass index in mind so chosen needles can serve you efficiently.
- b) Gauge of Needle
The thickness of the needle is measured in gauges instead of millimeters. The higher the gauge means thickest the needle is. There are different gauges available according to the need of the customer from 29 G to 32 G. The choice of gauge depends upon the amount of insulin delivery you want to send and on your comfort level. The finer gauge or lower gauge can be a good option to choose to save you from pain. The wider the gauge will be means it can deliver insulin effectively. Still, it is recommended to consult with your physician to decide the needle length and gauges for you.
Injecting Process with respect to needle length: The injecting process requires pinching or not, being dependent on the length of the needle. The shorter needle length like 4mm or 5mm requires no pinching and the angle of insertion should be 90 degrees. This length of needle and angle can be treated with one hand only on the upper arms, thighs, glutes, etc. If your needle is more than 5 mm then pinching on the skin is required to place the injection at 45 degrees to save yourself from an intramuscular injection.
Positives and Negatives of Pen Needles
Some of the features are listed below to get you acquainted with the pen needles in short.
- Positives
- The pen needles come in packs of 100 or in bulk so can save money.
- It can save you from the hassle of rebuying.
- These needles can be as thin as a human hair to save you from pain
- The thin needles help you to increase and improve insulin flow into your body.
- The shortest needle is 4mm or 5mm in length which means the least painful option is available.
- Their small design let you dispose of them easily.
- The needle length size and gauges come in a variety to choose from.
- They come in larger supplies.
Negatives
- FDA has issued a concern for the protective plastic of the needle because it is not properly shown to all of the users so better to replace it with something visible for all.
- The small size of the needle can be dangerous for those who are not good at controlling their finger movements
- It is a must-use only use and not reusable again
- The size of the needle can affect the dose of insulin you want to inject in case you have chosen the wrong size for you.
- Tough, it is safe to use but still, there are chances to get bruised or bleeding by hitting the muscle.
- Here on Zahrun, you see the variety of needle options available for you to buy. To check their specificities, please click on the concerned link so you can read about their size, gauges, and other benefits.
