Jet injector

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A jet injector is a type of medical injecting syringe that uses a high-pressure narrow jet of the injection liquid instead of a hypodermic needle to penetrate the epidermis. It is powered by compressed air or gas, either by a pressure hose from a big cylinder, or from a built-in gas cartridge or small cylinder. Some are multi-shot, and some are one-shot. They are made in various shapes, as the links to images below show.

They are used by diabetics to inject insulin as an alternative to needle syringes, though they are still not very common.

In the Star Trek stories, and sometimes in other fictional scenarios and occasionally in the real world, it is called a hypospray.

[edit] Types of jet injector

[edit] Biojector

The Biojector® 2000 is a make of gas-cartridge-powered jet injector. It is claimed that it can deliver intramuscular injections and subcutaneous injections up to 1 milliliter. The part which touches the patient's skin is single-use and can be replaced easily. It can be powered from a big compressed gas cylinder instead of gas cartridges. It is made by Bioject.

In October 2006 it was in clinical trials for patients using Fuzeon as part of their HAART treatment for HIV. For clinical trial and related information see http://www.hivdent.org/drugs1/drugBIFI0306.htm

[edit] History

  • 19th century: Workmen in France had accidental jet injections with high-powered grease guns [1]
  • 1920s: Diesel engines begin to be made in large quantities: thus beginning of serious risk of accidental jet-injection by their fuel injectors as workshop accidents.
  • 1937: First known recorded accidental jet injection by a diesel engine's fuel injector[1].
  • 1962: Robert Andrew Hingson invented a prototype jet injector and called it the peace gun, for quick mass vaccination. But sometimes the injection process dislodged infected matter from a patient onto the nozzle of the injector, risking cross-infection.
  • September 1966: The Star Trek series started, exposing the public to the idea of jet injectors under the name "hypospray".
  • 1997: The USA Department of Defense, the jet injector's biggest user, announced that it would stop using it for mass vaccinations due to concerns about infection.
A health worker using a jet injector on a child
Enlarge
A health worker using a jet injector on a child

[edit] External links about jet injectors

[edit] External links using "hypospray" for a real jet injector

These three references are all to articles in scientific periodicals:-

This link uses the name "hypospray" for an automatic tourniquet.

[edit] Links to pages with images

[edit] Accidental jet injection

Accidents have happened in vehicle repair garages and elsewhere where one of these has unintentionally acted as a hypodermic jet injector:-

[edit] External links about accidental jet injection

[edit] References

  1. ^ Rees CE. "Penetration of tissue by fuel oil under high pressure from diesel engine." JAMA 1937;109:866-7
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