Why Syringe Has Different Sizes?
Syringes have been around for decades, and they are widely used in medicine. If you have ever visited a hospital for a regular checkup or because of some medical treatment, you most probably have seen a syringe, if not been injected by it. Some of us might have even feared going to the doctor because of them.
Their primary purpose is straightforward: injecting a liquid in places that are difficult to access. Syringes have been used on humans and animals, but their usage is not limited to them.
Syringe
A syringe consists of a barrel, a plunger, and a needle. The plunger is used to control the dosage of liquid through the needle or the tube. The barrel is mostly made up of polypropylene with obvious markings of different measurements. Some of the syringes are made up of glass and even metal but are not as common as plastic ones.
These syringes are used mainly for medicinal purposes. These syringes are widely used, whether injecting vaccines for a life-threatening virus or injecting someone with lifesaving medications. Syringes have different types and sizes but work similarly.
Types of syringes sizes
Syringes come in various types depending on the purpose that they are being used for. Their different types are defined according to their capacity, syringe tips, needle sizes, and needle gauges. In this article, we will discuss only the syringe types based on the different barrel sizes.
Types of syringes based on barrel sizes
Figuring out the syringe size is very important for injecting the dosage of medicine in the patient. When choosing the syringe, it is required to make sure that the syringe’s size is according to the volume of the drugs. For a larger volume dosage of medicines, you must choose the larger capacity syringes accordingly. Another essential factor that should be kept in mind when choosing the right syringe is the desired pressure flow. Larger capacity syringes have lower pressure flow and vice versa.
Syringe sizes are specified based on the amount of liquid that they can hold. The syringe size or capacity can be measured in two ways: milliliters (mL) and cubic centimeters (cc). The milliliter measurement is used for the liquid volume, whereas cubic centimeters measurement is used for the volume of solids. One cubic centimeter (cc) is approximately equal to 1 milliliter (mL).
The syringe barrel has markings on it according to the milliliter (mL) scale to let the user know the exact dosage of the medication that is being injected. Another vital thing to consider while reading from the syringe is precisely measuring the plunger’s top ring.
Most commonly used syringe sizes
The different syringes are based on their capacity in milliliter (mL) or cubic centimeter (cc). The volume of the syringe should be enough to fulfill the medication that is to be injected. The syringe sizes can range from 0.25mL to 450mL. The size of the syringe is also used to determine the needle size and needle gauge. Below we will discuss some of the most commonly used syringe sizes.
1 mL or less than 1 mL syringes
1mL syringes are commonly used for diabetic and tuberculin medication, as well as intradermal injections. The tuberculin syringes have greater than half inches of needle length and have needle gauge between 26G and 27G. We can use 1 mL syringes with needle gauge size between 25G and 26G as an intradermal injection.
The insulin syringes have mostly three different sizes because they are injected in a lower dose than other medications. If you have to inject the insulin dose of 30 units or lesser than 30 units, you have to use a 0.3 mL syringe. Similarly, if you have to inject a dose between 31 to 50 units, you have to use a 0.5 mL syringe, and if the recommended dosage is between 51 to 100 units, you have to use the 1mL syringe. Their needles are not greater than half inches and have needle gauge between 29G and 31G.
2 mL – 3 mL syringes
The syringes between 2 and 3 mL are mostly used for vaccine injections. The syringe size must be determined according to the vaccine dose. The needle gauge for vaccine injections is mostly between 23G and 25G, and the needle length can vary according to the patient’s age and other factors. Choosing the right length needle is very important in terms of avoiding any risk of injection site reactions.
5 mL syringes
The syringes with a capacity of 5 mL can measure doses of liquid medication up to 5 ccs. These syringes are used for intramuscular injections or only the injections that are given directly into the muscles. Intramuscular injections should be given at an angle of 90 degrees, and the gauge size of the needle should be between 22G and 23G.
10 mL syringes
The 10 mL syringes are used for large volume intramuscular injections, which require higher doses of medication to be injected. The needle length for intramuscular injections should be between 1 and 1.5 inches for adults, and the needle gauge should be between 22G and 23G.
20 mL syringes
The 20 mL syringes have a larger capacity, which makes them ideal for mixing different medicines. For instance, taking multiple drugs and fusing them in a syringe and then injecting them in an infusion set before finally injecting it into the patient.
50 – 60 mL syringes
The larger 50 – 60 mL syringes are commonly used with scalp vein set for intravenous injections. We can choose a wide range of scalp vein sets (from 18G to 27G) according to the diameter of the vein and the viscosity of the aqueous solution.
