Needles Information and Courses from MediaLab, Inc.

These are the MediaLab courses that cover Needles and links to relevant pages within the course.

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CLIA Chemistry / Urinalysis Review
Identify the urine sediment elements present in this illustration:	View Page

Current Topics in Clinical Microbiology
To avoid infection with E. corrodens, patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitis (IDDM) are advised not to:	View Page

HIV Safety for Florida
Which of the following properly describes use of needles?	View Page
Sharps A sharp is any object which can penetrate the skin, including: needles scalpels broken glassPlace all needles and other sharps in puncture resistant sharps disposal containers as soon as possible after use.Properly use the safety devices provided with needles.	View Page

OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens
Spread of HBV in the community(1) HBV is spread in the community through: Sexual contact Drug abusers sharing contaminated needles An infant's exposure to its mother's body fluids	View Page
Engineering Controls Engineering Controls are devices which isolate the worker from the hazard of exposure.Examples: Self-sheathing needles Sharps disposal containers Disposable resuscitation bags Microbiological safety cabinets Proper use of engineering controls in your workplace will help protect you from bloodborne pathogens.	View Page
Sharps A sharp is any object which can penetrate the skin.Examples include: Needles Scalpels Broken glass About 800,000 needlestick and sharps injuries occur in the U.S. healthcare workplace each year! It is important to handle and dispose sharps properly.	View Page
Sharps DOs and DON'Ts Place all needles and other sharps in puncture resistant sharps disposal containers as soon as possible after use.Detach needles from reusable holders by using the appropriate device on the disposal container.Do not recap, bend, shear, or break needles.Do not remove needles from disposable syringes.	View Page

Phlebotomy
Discussion All biohazard needle disposal containers are marked with a “full” line at about ¾ of the box’s volume. Therefore, needles should never be sticking out of the top of the container. Julie should never have attempted to put the needle into an overly full container. The needlestick safety and prevention act requires the use of butterflies with built in safety devices. However, they are only effective if properly activated. When disposing of a butterfly needle, hold its “wings” with one hand, and the hub at the opposite end of the tubing with your other hand to prevent the needle from recoiling. Butterflies should be used with extra caution since they are the number one cause of needle stick injuries.Relevant topics:Needle disposal, Sharps disposal containers, Butterfly needles with safety 1, Butterfly needles with safety 2, Needle-stick injuries, Built-in safety features, Angel Wing™ safety butterfly, Punctur-Guard™ safety butterfly	View Page
Discussion The phlebotomist should always carefully observe the patient for clues about his mental and physical condition. In this case, the patient verbally expressed her fear of needles. In other cases, such fear may be expressed on the patient’s face or through other clues. It may help to engage apprehensive patients in conversation during the venipuncture to keep their mind off the procedure.As soon as the patient stated that she felt faint, the procedure should have been terminated. If a sitting patient faints, placing her head between her knees will help to revive her. Make sure the patient does not injure herself. Ammonium (smelling) salts, if in use at your institution, should be used cautiously, since they can be irritating. Get help from the nursing staff or a physician. Stay with the patient at least 15 minutes. The patient should not leave the area for at least 30 minutes. Make sure other appropriate institutional procedures are followed after fainting.Relevant topics:Fainting, Fainting continued	View Page
Case A phlebotomist at an outpatient drawing station prepares to collect blood from a patient who is scheduled for surgery the next day. The patient tells the phlebotomist that she is afraid of needles. The phlebotomist assures the patient that everything will be fine. He seats the patient in a phlebotomy chair. He talks the patient through the beginning of the venipuncture and she seemed to be doing fine. As the second of four tubes is being drawn, the patient suddenly blurts out that she fells very dizzy and is going to faint.	View Page
Single draw needles Single draw needles are of the type that fit on a syringe, and can be used only to fill the syringe to which they are connected.	View Page
Butterfly needles with built-in safety features continued Two examples of butterfly needles with built-in safety devices are shown.The Punctur-Guard™ (Bioplexus), shown above, uses an internal blunt needle which is activated after blood is drawn. The activated device showing the blunt internal needle is shown in the inset on the upper right. The Angel Wing ™ (Monoject), is activated by sliding a safety shield over the needle after venipuncture.	View Page
Multiple draw needles Multiple draw needles are used with vacuum collection tubes.They allow the collection of blood into multiple vacuum collection tubes during a single venipuncture. They have a retractable sheath over the portion of the needle that penetrates the blood tube.	View Page
Multiple draw needles with built-in safety features. You will be required to use multiple draw needles with built-in Safety features. One example is the Puncture-Guard™ (BioPlexus) needle, which uses an internal blunt needle (detail above) that is activated with forward pressure on the final blood tube prior to withdrawal of the needle from the vein. Refer to your institution’s and the manufacturer’s procedure manuals before using these devices.	View Page
Needles Needles come in many sizes. The size of the needle is called the gauge. The larger the needle, the smaller the gauge number. For most routine venipunctures, a 21 or 22 gauge needle is used.	View Page
Needles with built-in safety devices You will be using needles and/or needle holders with built-in safety devices. Various such needles are on the market. Remember that you must still activate the safety device to get the protection offered. So careful attention to what you are doing is still one of the best ways to protect yourself against needlestick injury.	View Page
Butterfly needles Butterfly needles, also known as a winged infusion set, are often used for difficult venipunctures including pediatric venipunctures.	View Page
Butterfly needles continued Butterfly needles may be used with a syringe or a holder and vacuum collection tube system. They are usually 21, 23, or 25 gauge.	View Page
Butterflies with built-in safety features You will be using butterfly needles with built in safety features. Butterfly needles are the number-one cause of needlestick injuries, so proper use of their safety devices is critical. Their use is described in greater detail in the section on butterfly needle blood collection.	View Page
Butterfly needle - Butterfly needle collections Butterfly needles (also known as a winged infusion set), are available in smaller gauges, and are used to draw venous blood from children, and adults with difficult veins.	View Page
Butterfly needle - Butterfly needles with built-in safety features You will be using butterfly needles with built-in safety device. The safety device must be activated upon completion of the blood collection.You will be using butterfly needles with built-in safety device. The safety device must be activated upon completion of the blood collection.The Angel Wing™ (Monoject) safety butterfly is shown here.	View Page
Heelstick - Pediatric collection procedures: Introduction Veins of small children and infants are too small for venipuncture;Safety Lancets are used to puncture the skin and collect capillary blood.Butterfly needles may be used to collect venous blood in older children.	View Page
Butterfly needle - Butterfly needle collections continued Butterfly needles come attached to a small tube which may be connected to:An evacuated tube holder, orA syringe.	View Page
Butterfly needle - Butterfly needles and needle-stick injuries Butterfly needles, because of their flexibility, are the number one cause of needle-stick injuries among phlebotomists.Use extra caution when using butterfly needles.	View Page
Equipment These items are needed to obtain a blood culture specimen :Gloves (sterile if available)Alcohol pads and sterile gauze padsTourniquet and iodine swabsBlood culture bottlesSyringes, needles, and/or evacuated tube system.	View Page
Hazardous waste disposal All needles & other sharps must be disposed of in approved sharps disposal containers. Other contaminated waste must be discarded in an appropriate red biohazard bag or waste receptacle.	View Page
Needlestick safety and prevention act The Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act was passed by Congress in November 2000. This law modifies the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard to require that health-care institutions use only needles and other sharps which have engineering controls and design features to help prevent accidental sharps injury. Health care institutions must update their exposure control plans to reflect these changes.	View Page

The Urine Microscopic: Microscopic Analysis of Urine Sediment

Tyrosine Crystals

Tyrosine crystals appear as fine silky needles arranged in sheaves or bundles in acid urine. They are rarely present and may appear together with leucine crystals in liver disease. Do not confuse tyrosine with crystals caused by x-ray dye. X-ray dyes will cause the urine specific gravity to be greatly increased (1.040), Tyrosine crystals are soluble in alkali or dilute mineral acid.

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