An injection is a quick cure for illness, but it is also a nightmare for children. Recently, a new type of needle-free syringe for children was first approved in China for the intramuscular injection of growth hormone in children, making injections no longer a child’s “dark moment”. It can be injected without a needle. How is this achieved? What scientific principles are contained in it?
The needle is so scary, can it be removed?
Every full-term healthy newborn needs to be injected with hepatitis B vaccine and BCG after birth. This is the “protection card” for babies to come to the rich microbial world. Using this as a starting point, children will be vaccinated many times. As a result, the children’s heart-piercing cries are often heard in the hospital. Some adults also need to inject drugs all the year round due to diseases. If one of them happens to be fainting, it will be “painful”.
Why must a syringe have a needle? Isn’t it possible to remove the needle and get an injection for such a scary thing?
On August 17, 2021, with the approval of the National Medical Products Administration for the first time, China’s independent intellectual property rights for children’s needleless syringes were officially approved for marketing, achieving a “zero” breakthrough in the field of needleless injections for children in China.
Schematic diagram of needle-free injection principle
Schematic diagram of a needleless syringe (drawing / Feifei)
How does needle-free injection penetrate the skin?
Needle-free injection is also called jet injection. Its principle is similar to that of high-pressure water gun. It uses the instantaneous high pressure generated by the power source to make the medicine in the syringe form a high-speed and high-pressure jet that is much thinner than a human hair. The high-pressure jet can penetrate the skin and release the drug after reaching a certain depth under the skin.
In needleless injection, the diameter of the high-pressure jet is 76 micrometers to 360 micrometers, while the diameter of the traditional syringe needle is 810 micrometers. Compared with the two, the “holes” produced by needleless injection are much smaller.
Comparison of traditional syringe (top) and needle-free syringe (bottom)
Needle-free injection has two characteristics. The first is “fast”. The injection is completed the moment the nurse presses the injection button; the second is “soft”. The entire injection process is very soft and almost painless.
Because there is no needle, needle-free injection can not only reduce pain, but also avoid the risk of needle scratches, breakage, and contamination. However, due to the safety and accuracy of needleless syringes, the current needleless syringes are used for subcutaneous injection and cannot meet the requirements of intravenous injection.
The development of medical science is more often based on people’s needs. It is believed that technology will drive newer and faster medical development, not just the revolution of small needles.
Knowledge Expansion Is the pain of injection also graded?
Injections can be divided into intramuscular injections, subcutaneous injections, intravenous injections, and intradermal injections. Different styles of play, because the angle of the needle and the skin tissue reached are different, the pain is also different.
