Mastering accurate syringe measurement is one of the most important skills for the nurses to learn. As we all know, even a small syringe error can cause impact on patients’ safety. Whether you are administering medication, or drawing medication, it should be done with precision. The measurement on syringes may look straightforward and easy but even seasoned nurses can make errors. Therefore, whether you are a nurse or doctor, accurately measuring the syringe is important. Here in this blog, we will guide you on how to measure accurately with a syringe. So, lets dive in!
What is a syringe?
Syringe is a device that is used to draw or inject fluids into the body. Types of syringes are as follows:
Types of syringes:
- Standard syringes: These syringes are commonly used in routines.
- Insulin syringes: These types of syringes are used in insulin to administer precise medication.
- Tuberculin syringes: used in allergy TB tests.
- Oral syringes: These syringes mostly found with oral medication to administer medicines orally.
Parts of syringe
Now let us discuss the parts of syringes and how it function. The parts of the syringe consist of the following:
- Barrel
- Plunger
- Tip
- Needle
- Hub
- Needle cover or sheath.
Barrel: The barrel is the cylindrical part of the syringe that has markings or calibrations on it. The fluid is measure through that.
Plunger: The plunger is the part of the syringe that helps to push or pull the medication in the syringe. This helps to control the amount of medication being injected or drawn.
Tip: It is the end of the syringe where the needle attaches. It is of three types, Luer lock, slip tip and catheter tip.
Needle: At the tip of the syringe is the needle that delivers the medication to the patient’s body. The needle is of different sizes.
Hub: This is the part of the syringe that connects the needle to the syringe, securing it safely.
Sheth or needle cover: to cover the tip of the needle to keep the needle sterile and prevent from accidental pricking.
How to read a syringe
Here is the step-by-step guide on how to read a syringe.
- Identify the type of syringe: Syringes come in various sizes and are typically in milliliters (ml) or cubic (cc) centimeters. Some the common sizes in the syringes are 1 ml, 3 ml, 5ml, and 10 ml.
- Understand the markings: The markings on the syringe consist of large and small lines. The larger lines represent whole numbers like 1ml or 2ml. In between the larger lines are smaller lines that represent fractional measurements like 0.1ml, 0.2 ml. By carefully counting these lines you can determine the amount of medication.
- To avoid parallax errors, hold the syringe to the eye level, and align the top of the plunger with the desired mark.
- To remove the air bubble on top, gently tap the syringe and slightly push the plunger to remove the bubble.
- Reexamine the dosage after removing the bubble to make sure that the liquid is aligned with the correct calibration mark.
- Follow aseptic techniques to avoid contamination.
Identifying and measuring with common types of syringes
- 10 mL Syringe: Measures in 0.5 mL increments.
- 5mL Syringe: Measure in 0.2 mL increments.
- 3 mL Syringe: Measures in 0.1 mL increments.
- 1mL syringe: Measure in 0.01mL increments or 100 divisions. There are 1000 mg in 1 mL syringe.
- 100-unit Insulin syringe: instead of volume measurements the marking on this syringe corresponds to insulin units and each line represents 2 units of insulin.
Where is 0.25 mL on a 1 mL syringe?
Half mark between the 0.2 and 0.3 mL lines.
Where is 0.54 mL on a 1 mL syringe?
Fourth line between 0.5 mL and 0.6 mL
Where is 1.6 mL on a 3 mL syringe?
The first line past the 1.5 mL indicator on the 3 mL syringe.
Conclusion
Understanding the types of syringes and how to measure accurately with a syringe is vital for health care professionals, as small errors can have a big effect on patients’ health. In this blog, we have discussed the types of syringes, their uses, and how to measure them accurately.
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