Needle sharpness is minimally affected by vaccine vial puncture.

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Medical Device Engineering
• Material Science

Background:

• Needle sharpness is crucial for safe and effective injections in veterinary practice.
• Current veterinary practices often involve routine needle changes based on perceived dulling.
• The impact of vaccine vial septum passage on needle sharpness requires objective evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey veterinary professionals' needle-changing habits.
• To quantify the effect of vaccine vial septum passages on needle sharpness.
• To compare the influence of septum passage versus needle characteristics on penetration force.

Main Methods:

• An online survey assessed needle-changing behaviors among 482 veterinary professionals.
• A randomized controlled trial evaluated needle sharpness after 0, 1, or 2 septum passages.
• Peak penetration force (PF) and 3-D surface roughness measured needle sharpness.

Main Results:

• 76% of surveyed veterinarians routinely change needles due to dulling concerns.
• Septum passage caused minor increases in peak penetration force (9% after 1, 18% after 2 passages).
• Needle brand and gauge had a greater impact on penetration force (6%-58%) than septum passage.

Conclusions:

• Septum passage has a less significant effect on needle sharpness compared to needle brand and gauge.
• Current needle-changing practices may be more frequent than necessary.
• Optimizing needle selection and technique could reduce waste and needlestick injuries.