Best Practices For Needle Handling, Disposal, And Drug Extraction
Dec 15, 2022
Although they are not sharp, blunt needles are still medical devices that require careful attention.
1. Keep blunt needles sterile
The best way to keep a dull needle sterile is to avoid touching the needle itself. This prevents cross contamination between the finger/glove and the solution that will be extracted using the needle. Always hold the needle in a plastic base and never touch the metal tube.
2. Note the tip of the syringe
Most often, a blunt needle is used to transfer the solution into a syringe so that you can inject it into the patient. Remember to check what kind of syringe tip you have before opening the blunt needle. There are four types of syringe tips:
Slide prompt
Ruhrlock (screw) tips
Cue of catheter
Eccentric (eccentric) tip
Air or surface contamination may occur if you realize after opening the package that the syringe and blunt needle are incompatible.
3. Disinfect medicine containers
While the vial keeps its contents sterile, the initial moment of contact between the blunt needle and the seal is still susceptible to surface contamination. Always disinfect the medication container with an alcohol swab.
4. Make sure you dispose of them properly
Blunt needles cannot Pierce materials as easily as hypodermic needles, but you should still discard them in sharp disposal containers. Some blunt needles have plastic or silicone attachments that allow you to clip the needle inside and prevent it from going through the handling container.
