this post was submitted on 09 Aug 2025
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Also why you don't re-use needles:
That's not the main reason why we don't reuse needles.
One of the many
For even into the same patient…
Pfft I reckon we can reuse it once from that pic
Or from draw into injection
Insulin needles are used in this way, because they're usually permanently attached to their syringe. Rather than using a drawing needle then an injection needle.
Oh does insulin have a thick rubber stopper? I'm a lemmy stereotype and so my only experience with injections is estrogen
Uhm... same! So I couldn't tell you. I do have a friend that's type 1, but she uses an insulin pump these days.
This is peak Lemmy right there lmao
Aye, and besides drug users on the streets, that's who the top picture was actually for. I can't recall how many of those signs I've seen when I was picking up needles with my insulin. I also know my uncle reused his up to 10 times or so. Worst I've ever gone was like 5-6. It's actually quite difficult to get needles when you're not at home and forget some (and they're annoyingly easy to forget).
Wait, what? I meant reused as in the vial and my body...
Yes, I get that. So what I was saying, in a continuation of your comment on insulin needles being used that way, was that the top picture here, showing what needles looked like after multiple times of use, was most often displayed near pharmacies, where insulin and needles were dispensed to diabetics. I saw them there more than I ever saw them in anti-drug areas/campaigns. I was further adding in the perspective that there was a good reason for doing that, as diabetics (and probably other users of injected drugs) were most definitely reusing needles, as evidenced by the stories from my uncle and my own experience.
That's honestly a bit terrifying...
It's a little misleading in that the last photo is zoomed in a lot more than the previous ones. This one has that without the extra zoom in.
Could they be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol or an autoclave?
It's less about the dirt than the tip deforming.
When the needle is less pointy, it'll hurt more.
Not only that but look how it forms a freaking fishing hook on the end like a barb. Yikes!!!
Autoclave will deform the needle even more. The edge of the tip is made from softer steel so that it is sharper while at the same time more deformable.
Assumably also for manufacturing and safety reasons. You don't want the tip of a needle to shatter inside you, softer steel won't do that. And it's a little bit easier to manufacture with softer steel as well.
Needles were autoclaved and re-used once upon a time, so it should be possible. But disposable needles are probably made of softer material than reusable ones.
Those were made up harder steel which can't be sharpened to the degree softer steel can be. Harder steel shatters if sharpened since harder it is brittle it becomes.
So reusable needle are blunt, so injections are painful. And as mentioned by @Natanox@discuss.tchncs.de they used to shatter inside the body after a few cycles of autoclaving.
Comparing the pictures it looks like the exact same set of photos except like you said, more zoomed in.
Wow, I did not expect that.
Can we see the skin after that sixth use?
To shreds, you say.
So when nurse misses a vein and want to try again you should ask them to uae a new needle?
For good procedure, yes.