If you have been prescribed a self-administered drug that you will need to administer at home. You will need to learn how to read and safely use the syringe and needle. Choosing the correct syringe size is extremely necessary to get the correct dose of medication. When you have been given a self-administered drug, your doctor or nurse should show you how to use it. However, it is important to understand the basics of a syringe.Syringes typically have a clear barrel with easy to read graduation marks. The volume of a syringe is either marked in cubic centimeters (CC) or milliliters (mL). At the end of the syringe, the flanges are the wings that come out of the side and allows you to rest your fingers on them. The Plunger rod is a piston-like device inside of the barrel, and the thumb press is where the user presses on to push the plunger into the barrel.

Syringe Types

Now that we have the basics of a syringe, we can discuss the different types of syringes. There are a couple of different types of syringes to shop including luer lock, luer slip, catheter tip, and insulin syringe.

Luer lock syringes offer a more secure connection. Luer lock syringes need a needle    to be twisted on and locked in place. This helps prevent accidental slipping and the needle from falling off.

Luer slip syringes offer a quick and simple way to attach a needle. This syringe tends to be cheaper and are better used when a quick injection is needed. Luer slip needles can sometimes pop off and are why some medical professionals prefer to use a luer lock syringe.

Catheter tip syringes are commonly used for injecting through the tubing, or when a regular slip tip needle is larger than a normal slip tip. Eccentric tip syringes have an off-center tip and are commonly used for surface veins or artery injections.

Syringe size

The size of the syringe varies by how much fluid you need to use and by the injection you will be doing. Syringes are marked in cubic centimeters (cc) and milliliters (ml) and are marked on the barrel of the syringe.

The graduations on an insulin syringe show the number of units it holds and is not always displayed in cc or ml. For example, A 1/4 ml insulin syringes will hold approximately 25 units, 1/3ml will hold approximately 30ml. ½ ml insulin syringe will hold approximately 50 units, 1ml syringe will hold approximately 100 units of insulin.