Auntie Zhu is a diabetic and her doctor recommended that she use insulin to control her blood sugar. Auntie Zhu reused the insulin injection needles every time in order to save money, but she found that since she had reused the insulin injection needles, the pain during the injections would intensify and her blood sugar started to become unstable. Auntie Zhu didn't realize that the reuse of the needles was the cause of these problems, so she went to consult with her doctor.

When the doctor asked Auntie Zhu about her insulin injection method, she told that she now often reuses needles in order to save. Upon hearing this, the doctor told her that insulin injection needles should not be reused, which could be the cause of her unstable blood sugar control.

Reuse of needles can cause burrs on the needle, which can increase the pain of injection, not only that, reuse of needles also tends to lead to unstable blood glucose as the insulin left in the needle may clog the needle and affect the next injection.

Not removing the needle after each injection can cause insulin to penetrate into the needle, affecting the next dose, which can lead to unstable blood sugar.

Reuse of needles may also cause subcutaneous fat atrophy, and significant fluctuations in insulin absorption occur when injections are made at sites of fat atrophy.

Auntie Zhu has been using disposable needles ever since to avoid a recurrence of the previous problem.

In contact with many sugar users, found that many sugar users insulin injection needle reuse, and is very common, needle reuse seems to save money,, in fact, not.

The thickness of insulin injection needles varies, there are 28G, 29G, 30G, 31G. the larger the G the thinner the needle. The length of the injection needle is divided into two kinds: 5mm and 8mm, and patients choose the length of the injection needle according to their fatness. General injection needles are suitable for all insulin injection pens, but they must be used once. The harm of multiple reuse is:

1, injection site skin infection: manifested as local redness, swelling, pus. Diabetic patients themselves are prone to infection, not easy to heal the wound. If the injection site is infected, it will bring you more pain and increase the economic burden.

2, resulting in increased pain: injection needle is a single-use sterile needle, the surface of the needle coated with a silicone layer to play a lubricating role, which helps to reduce the pain of injection, repeated use of syringe needles after repeated use of alcohol disinfection, will be removed from the needle surface of the silicone layer, the loss of lubrication and lead to pain. Repeated use of the needle will appear barbs, bends, burrs, resulting in bleeding and abrasions at the injection site, increasing injection pain.

3, the chance of needle breakage increased: the overall design of the injection needle, is produced according to the standard of single-use, is a very fine hollow injection needle, repeated use is very easy to break the needle events, and because the needle is very fine, not easy to detect; and because of the breakage of the tip of the needle with the contraction of the muscle in the body, it is difficult to take out, jeopardizing the health of patients at the same time greatly increase the cost of treatment, increase the financial burden of the patient.

4. Needle clogging: Insulin residue in the reused syringe will cause needle clogging, hindering the next injection, thus affecting the next injection dose.

5, quill liquid leakage: repeated use of patients usually do not remove the needle, when the patient insulin injection pen from the cool place to the warm place, insulin injection liquid will be slightly swollen, resulting in quill leakage, can also make the concentration of pre-mixed insulin changes, affecting the therapeutic effect.

In conclusion, long-term reuse of insulin injection needles can cause infection, aggravate injection pain, lead to inaccurate insulin injection dose, and ultimately affect the effectiveness of diabetes treatment, poor glycemic control will not only increase the cost of treatment, but also affect the quality of life, if the needle breaks or local infection, it will be more than worth it.

Zhang Jing Yun Unit: Beijing Fengtai Hospital Member of Pharmaceutical Affairs Network

September 9, 2018

The authoritative interpretation of Pharmaceutical Affairs, unauthorized reproduction, plagiarism will be punished.

Needle and blood sugar instability pulled on it, the bull's head is not to the horse's mouth, a little scientific reasoning are not, I nearly five years to a needle with half a month, which is not good blood sugar, only to give the sugar friends a reminder, each injection should be used after 75% of alcohol to wipe disinfection of the needle set and needle, and set into the needle set, the back of the alcohol with a small cotton ball (pulling a cotton paper head) sealing and filling, in order to prepare for the next time you can use it (from the medical profession for more than 40 years,). Deputy Chief Physician), so that both economic, the next injection and avoid the common injection pain, each injection before the light try to push the row a little bit, check whether the needle is smooth, check the needle is bent, the other according to the requirements to do on the line, only for the reference of sugar friends.

We don't have the money. What can we do if we don't use it over and over again?