Nurses Helping Nurses
allnurses Network: Central | Jobs | Books | Newsletter
allnurses: A Nursing Community for Nurses
Home General News Blogs Articles Students Region Specialty Degrees F.A.Q.
Med Savvy /

Question about using an Insulin Syringe to measure mls



Did You Know?
allnurses is the largest community for nurses on the web. We now have over 388,853 members! Join today to network with other nurses, laugh, share, and much more.
Page 1 of 3 1 23 >

Jan 03, 2009 11:41 AM

Question about using an Insulin Syringe to measure mls


Hello,
I have a question about syringes. I keep getting different answers to the same question in work.
I am a Hospice nurse, so, in turn I administer a lot of morphine injections. We have 1ml luer lock syringes which we use all the time. Then someone pulled out some insulin syringes stating units on the barrell and told us that we can use these to measure up our morphine doses which we measure in mls. Can you use these syringes for measurements in mls? Someone who knows the true answer, please help.


Share

Search Tags
None
Top

 
Advertisement
Sponsored Links
 
Page 1 of 3 1 23 >
Reply
20 Comments
No. 1
from truern
Old Jan 03, 2009, 03:21 PM

Default Re: Question about using an Insulin Syringe to measure mls
I know my 100 unit insulin syringes hold 1 ml, but not sure why anybody would use them to administer 1 ml of medication. That would be the whole barrel full of med which is harder to handle than a syringe actually designed to hold 1 ml.

Heck, sometimes I have trouble injecting my 70 units of Lantus!
Top
 
No. 2
from Twinkles2
Old Jan 03, 2009, 09:20 PM

Question Re: Question about using an Insulin Syringe to measure mls
Thanks for your answer, but what I guess I want to know is can you measures parts of mls in a 1ml Insulin syringe that is labelled units? We give shots made up of .33mls, .5, or .66 mls at times. Aren't these a different measurement than units? How would you measure that on a syringe that is marked units? Still need some input.
Top
 
No. 3
from iluvivt
Old Jan 05, 2009, 02:56 AM

Default Re: Question about using an Insulin Syringe to measure mls
No you should use a tuberculin syringe or a one ml syringe to administer medication that is less than 1 ml in volume. Technically,an insulin syringe is just that an insulin syringe and really should only be used to draw up insulin. The nurses may be trying to take a short cut or something,but you should be safe and use the proper syringe size.
Top
 
No. 4
from Lexxie
Old Jan 05, 2009, 06:28 AM

Default Re: Question about using an Insulin Syringe to measure mls
I was taught that you use Insulin syringes ONLY for insulin. An insulin syringe isn't supposed to be interchangeable with any other type of syringe.
Top
 
No. 5
from Virgo_RN
Old Jan 06, 2009, 03:39 AM

Default Re: Question about using an Insulin Syringe to measure mls
Originally Posted by Twinkles2 View Post
Hello,
I have a question about syringes. I keep getting different answers to the same question in work.
I am a Hospice nurse, so, in turn I administer a lot of morphine injections. We have 1ml luer lock syringes which we use all the time. Then someone pulled out some insulin syringes stating units on the barrell and told us that we can use these to measure up our morphine doses which we measure in mls. Can you use these syringes for measurements in mls? Someone who knows the true answer, please help.
If they are U100 syringes, then 100 units would equal 1mL, 50 units would equal 0.5ml, etc., so yes, you could conceivably use these to measure out small doses of morphine. The question is why would you want to do this? I typically give MS in 1mL increments, usually 2mg or 4mg. Much easier and faster to draw it up into a 10mL NS flush after squirting out however much of the NS is equal to the volume of the MS you're planning to give.
Top

1 Reader Gave Kudos
 
No. 6
from Twinkles2
Old Jan 06, 2009, 08:54 AM

Default Re: Question about using an Insulin Syringe to measure mls
In response to my latest answer if we can use the insulin syringe to measure up mls. I believe my situation is a little different. We use Sub Q butterflies and draw up very small amounts of morphine from either 10mg/ml or 15mg/ml multi-dose vials. We are not using IVs for administration or normal saline. We draw up small amounts such as .33 = 5mg, or .5 = 7.5mg, etc.. and this is injected via a butterfly that is left in. That is why I am questioning measuring this with units as the measurement vs. mls on the barrell. It makes sense that 50u = .5 of a ml, however, can you measure in between these measurements safely? I would appreciate more input on this matter. So, the new question is: can you measure mls the same as units no matter what amount you need under 1ml safely?
Top
 
No. 7
from talaxandra
Old Jan 06, 2009, 09:23 AM

Default Re: Question about using an Insulin Syringe to measure mls
We stock 100 unit/ml syringes, though they only go up to .5ml (to reduce the risk of giving too much insulin, which is annoying when patients are on more than 50units, but that's another thread).

The syringes are marked in 1unit = 0.1ml increments - so you can only give doses in those gradients (ie there's no way to distinguish doses smaller than 0.1ml, like an order for 0.33ml). But something like 0.5ml is the same volume as 50units, provided the syringes are graduates as 100units/ml.

Clear as mud?!
Top
 
No. 8
from morte
Old Jan 06, 2009, 09:26 AM

Default Re: Question about using an Insulin Syringe to measure mls
if 100 units=1 ml, then 0.33 mls = 33 units......now, i am going to sound rude/sarcastic....but what is hard about that........
Top

1 Reader Gave Kudos
 
No. 9
from Virgo_RN
Old Jan 06, 2009, 11:03 AM

Default Re: Question about using an Insulin Syringe to measure mls
If you can do basic math, I believe you can, since with U100 syringes, 1 unit is equivalent to 0.01mL.
Top

1 Reader Gave Kudos
 
Page 1 of 3 1 23 >
Reply




Thread Tools


Who's Online
329 members
2,541 guests
2,870

5

James Woods, Actor Sues Hospital, Warwick, RI

1

16 fired for HIPAA Violations

6

Four Lehigh Valley Health Network nurses accused of...

49

lawsuit - But don't most RN's work through breaks/lunch...

0

Patient Evaluation of Retail Clinic Care

7

The hard to reach on-call doctor, and its effects on...

12

Woman charged with passing off prescription drug as...

28

Man in "Vegetative State" was conscious for 23...

2

Interesting article on ThedaCare's Collaborative Care Model

14

Possible breakthrough regarding MS



47

Dear preceptor

1

Society Needs Care Too

13

Why am I doing this, anyway?

2

Nurse Heal Thyself

10

My Papa, why I am the nurse I am today.

17

I made it through

11

An angel's gaze

16

A Sister Never Forgets

16

Ruby's Marbles

42

What Do Operating Room Nurses Do?

14

My Little Old Jedi

21

I love this job......

23

"I hear voices"

20

Preventing FRUTI (Foley Related Urinary Tract Infection) in...

24

Error and Attitude





Sponsored Links

Currently Reading This Page: 1 (0 members & 1 guests)

Interested in the hottest topics of the week? Subscribe to the Nurse-zine Newsletter.
Enter email address: