Expanded needle and syringe guide

How to choose the correct syringe size?

BD is a high quality of syringes, which is easy to use. Before you choose a syringe, make sure you know how many ml you need for the optimal solution. (Ask your doctor about this).

How to measure the thickness of your skinfold?

To measure your skinfold choose an area on your thigh squeeze with your thumb and forefinger and pull away from the muscles, make sure it’s not just the skin you are pulling. Measure the tissue right between your thumb and forefinger; you can use an ordinary ruler for this.

If you are injecting intramuscular your needle size is 2/3 the thickness of the tissue. If you are injection subcutaneous your needle size is 1/3 the thickness of the tissue.

How to choose the correct length of needle?

If your tissue measures 30 mm, the needle length for an intramuscular injection should be 2/3 of the tissue, around 20 mm. The optimal needle length to choose would be 25 mm. For the subcutaneous injection, the needle size should be 1/3 of the tissue, about 10 mm. The correct needle to choose is the 10 mm, to inject the right tissue, to get the right effect of the medicine and reduce the risk of injection site reactions.

How to choose the correct thickness of needle?

The thickness of the needle depends of which kind of fluid you are injecting. If the fluid are oil based you should choose a needle, which is thicker than with liquid medicine.

All the needles is used for liquid fluid. The needles with a thickness on 0.5 mm or above are also used for oil-based medicine.

How to make a z-track injection?

The Z-track method of an intramuscular injection is used to prevent tracking (leakage) of the medication into the subcutaneous tissue.

To make a Z-track injection the skin and tissue are pulled and held firmly while the needle is inserted into the muscle. After the medication is injected, the skin and tissue are released.

A Z-track injection helps to prevent medication from seeping into the subcutaneous tissue and ensures a full dosage. This is why we recommend this type of injection, in the thigh, sitting down and relaxing.

To make a z-track injection use one hand to pull downward on your skin and subcutaneous tissue, hold it firmly about an inch away (2.54 cm) from the muscle. Use the 90-degree injector to get the right angle. The needle will be quickly inserted deeply enough to penetrate your muscle.

Then pull back the plunger and check the syringe for evidence of aspirated blood. If blood is present, it means a vein may have been hit, so a new site must be used. This will involve a new needle and fresh medication.

If there is no blood in the syringe, inject the medication slowly directly into the muscle. The needle will remain in place for about 10 seconds before it is withdrawn.

When the skin and tissue are released, the needle track is broken, briefly forming a shape like the letter “Z.”