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Discover a comprehensive selection of premium-quality medical needles designed to meet the needs of healthcare professionals across various applications.

What to Consider When Selecting Medical Needles?

Selecting the right medical needle is critical to ensuring patient comfort, safety, and effective treatment. Whether you are a healthcare worker or buying for a clinic or hospital, knowing the types and features helps you make an informed decision.

Needle Gauge Sizes

The gauge (G) determines the diameter of the needle. For example, a higher gauge such as a 30G needle will have a smaller hole than a 7G. The gauge plays a key role in the comfort and speed of medical procedures. Here's a breakdown:

Higher Gauge: Usually used for thinner medications, such as insulin.
Lower Gauge: Usually used when drawing up and delivering a relatively thick medication.

You can also identify the gauge by the colour of the needle. For example, manufacturers often design safety-engineered needles to follow ISO Hub Colour Standards to keep gauge colours consistent through a colour coded system.

As shown in the image, this green needle is 21G as per the ISO Colour Standard.

To view the ISO hub colour standard covering an array of gauge sizes, please see the image below:

Click To Zoom

Needle Lengths

Nurse holding a syringe for the injection giving patient vaccine in hospital. Health care Concept

Always consider the needle size you are purchasing and its use case. For example, a healthcare provider uses shorter ones for a subcutaneous injection. This helps deliver the medication just under the skin. Whereas, a longer one is used to deliver the medication into the muscle during an intramuscular (IM) injection.

Types of Tips

Choosing the right tip is essential for both the ease of the procedure and patient comfort. A variety of tips exist, each with its own purpose. Some common tips include:

Regular Bevel

The standard bevel design, widely used for most medical procedures, including intramuscular and subcutaneous injections.

Short Bevel

The special bevel shape helps limit deep penetration. This makes it great for tasks like arterial blood gas sampling and nerve blocks. In these cases, precision and controlled injection depth are crucial.

Intradermal Bevel

Made for shallow, low-angle insertion just under the skin. Ideal for small fluid volumes in skin tests, such as allergy tests.

5-Bevel

Features an advanced design with two additional bevels, creating a flatter and thinner surface, resulting in reduced patient discomfort and less painful injections.*

Blunt Tips

Designed for safer medication mixing and transfers, helping to prevent accidental needle stick injuries.

Below you can find some of the bevel, and blunt needles available:

BD Microfine Needles

High quality needles - available in 21g, 23g and 25g sizes

£2.90

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Terumo Sterile Needles

Terumo Agani needles are extremely sharp and reliable

£2.80

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Acucan 18g X 1½” (1.2mm x 38mm) Red Blunt Drawing Up Needle

Draw Up Medicines Efficiently with Acucan's Blunt Drawing Up Needles

£4.95

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BD Blunt Filter Needle

Designed for safe ampoule medication preparation

£21.40

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Guidelines For Length and Gauge Selection

Click To Zoom

Types of Walls

Image showing size difference between: Regular Wall, Thin Wall and Extra Thin Wall

Image source: BD-2125 (3/17) - Principles of Injection Technique

Regular Wall: This is the most common thickness. It has a strong steel wall that allows for a steady flow rate. It also reduces flexing when inserted into a vial stopper or a patient.
Thin Wall: Narrower steel wall, allowing a greater fluid volume to pass through, offering a flow rate similar to a needle one gauge larger.
Extra Thin Wall: Thinnest steel wall, offering higher flow and requiring less force for medication delivery

Specialty Needles

Some types of needles specialise specifically in medical procedures, offering medical professionals a targeted solution. Some of these include:

Insulin needles: Ultra-fine, minimising pain for diabetes patients needing daily injections.
Spinal needles: Intended specifically for use in the spinal region such as to inject analgesia and/or anaesthetic directly into the cerebral spinal fluid.
Biopsy needles: To provide precision in tissue sampling.
Butterfly needle (Winged Infusion Set): Designed for precision and comfort, the butterfly needle, also known as a winged infusion set, is ideal for drawing blood (to collect blood potentially for a blood sample) or administering IV fluids in delicate veins. Its flexible "wings" ensure easy handling and greater control during insertion.

Check out some of the insulin needles available below:

BD MicroFine+ 0.5ml 30G 8mm Syringes & Needles

Graduated in 1 unit intervals, for doses over 30-50 units

£1.70

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BD Micro-Fine+ 0.5ml 29G 12.7mm Syringes & Needles

Graduated in 1 unit intervals, for doses between 30-50 units

£13.50

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BD Micro-Fine+ 29G, 1ml Insulin Syringes

Graduated in 2 unit intervals, for doses over 50 units

£13.45

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BD Microfine+ 0.3ml U100 Insulin Syringe 8mm 30G

Graduated in 1 unit intervals, for doses over 30-50 units

£17.15

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Safety Features

Safety is paramount in medical environments. Safety is paramount in medical environments. Many modern needles include features that protect both patients and healthcare providers, such as:

Safety lock mechanisms: Prevent accidental needle sticks.
Retractable needles: Found in syringe and needle combos, these help prevent accidental injury.

Importance of Proper Needle Disposal

Safe disposal is critical for preventing injury, contamination, and the spread of infectious diseases. Used needles pose serious health risks to healthcare workers, patients, and the public if not disposed of correctly. Always use approved sharps disposal containers, which are puncture-resistant and designed to prevent accidental needle sticks. Following proper disposal procedures not only ensures a safer environment but also complies with health and safety regulations, protecting everyone involved.

SAFELOC™ Black Needle Exchange Container

Securely Dispose of Sharps with SAFELOC™ - Safety and Convenience Combined

£1.25

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Sharpsafe Solid Pharma Waste Bin

Solid pharmaceutical waste such as medicine in or out of packaging

£5.25

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Sharpsafe Cyto Sharps Bins

Sharps contaminated with cytotoxic and cytostatic medicines

£3.70

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Sharpsafe Medical Sharps Bins

Partially discharged & empty sharps including medicine contaminated

£3.70

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Disclaimer: This information is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional for proper guidance on syringe and needle usage.

ISO Hub Colour Standards, Regular Bevel, Short Bevel, Intradermal Bevel, 5-Bevel and Guidelines For Length and Gauge Selection images sourced from: BD-2125 (3/17) - Principles of Injection Technique

*Adapted from Hirsch L, Gibney M, Berube J, et al. Impact of a modified needle tip geometry on penetration force as well as acceptability, preference, and perceived pain in subjects with diabetes. J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2012;6(2):328-335. Study was not conducted on all needles sizes.

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Needles

What to Consider When Selecting Medical Needles?

Needle Gauge Sizes

Needle Lengths

Types of Tips

Regular Bevel

Short Bevel

Intradermal Bevel

5-Bevel

Blunt Tips

Guidelines For Length and Gauge Selection

Types of Walls

Image source: BD-2125 (3/17) - Principles of Injection Technique

Specialty Needles

Safety Features

Importance of Proper Needle Disposal

ISO Hub Colour Standards, Regular Bevel, Short Bevel, Intradermal Bevel, 5-Bevel and Guidelines For Length and Gauge Selection images sourced from: BD-2125 (3/17) - Principles of Injection Technique

*Adapted from Hirsch L, Gibney M, Berube J, et al. Impact of a modified needle tip geometry on penetration force as well as acceptability, preference, and perceived pain in subjects with diabetes. J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2012;6(2):328-335. Study was not conducted on all needles sizes.