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The importance of the Safety Syringe has increased as legislation has been introduced in many nations as needlestick injuries and re-use prevention become the focus of governments and safety bodies.
Traditional glass syringes can be re-used once disinfected. Plastic body syringes have become more popular in recent years because they are disposable, and some feel they have a tighter seal than their glass counterparts. Unfortunately, improper disposal methods and re-use are responsible for transferring blood borne diseases. Of the 55 cases documented by the CDC of (non-sex work) occupational transmission of HIV, 90% were from contaminated needles that pierced the skin.[1] The direct cost of needlestick injuries was calculated in a recent study to be between $539 and $672.[2] That includes only lab tests, treatment, service and 'other'; it does not take into account lost time and wages for employers and individuals.
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There are many types of safety syringes available on the market.[3] The least expensive are also the least safe. Auto Disable (AD) syringes are designed as a single use syringe, with an internal mechanism blocking the barrel once depressed so it cannot be depressed again. The other type of syringe with a re-use prevention feature is the breaking plunger syringe. An internal mechanism cracks the syringe when the plunger is fully depressed to prevent further use. These syringes are only effectively disabled with a full depression of the plunger; users can avoid activating the re-use prevention feature and re-use the syringe.
The more effective safety syringes have reuse and needlestick prevention features. A sheath or hood is slid over the needle after the injection is completed with a Needlestick Prevention Syringe, which also has a re-use prevention feature (either an auto disable mechanism or breaking plunger). Retractable syringes use either manual or spring-loaded retraction to withdraw the needle into the barrel of the syringe. Spring-loaded syringes can have a 'splatter' effect, where blood and fluids are sprayed off the cannula from the force of the retraction. Manual retraction syringes do not have the same effect, and are easier to depress because there is no resistance from a spring.
Two lawyers, Mike Weiss and Paul Danzinger, were approached in 1998 by an inventor who was having trouble selling a safety syringe developed to protect health care workers from accidentally being infected by dirty needles. The problems were due to monopolistic actions of a major industry needle maker and hospital group purchasing organizations. The case was settled before trial for $150 million dollars.[5] This was portrayed by a movie in 2011, called Puncture.[6]