The larger the gauge of the needle the smaller diameter???

[CrystalClear75, BSN, RN]

I'm reviewing, could someone please explain what they mean by the larger the gauge the smaller the diameter? Thanks. ?

[beth66335, BSN, RN]

Buttercup7507 said:

I'm reviewing, could someone please explain what they mean by the larger the gauge the smaller the diameter? Thanks. ?

If a needle is a 20 gauge it is bigger around with a larger hole than a 22 gauge. As the # goes up the needle gets thinner.

[CrystalClear75, BSN, RN]

Thank you! ?

[Conrad283, BSN, RN]

Yeah, that's right.

I don't know why I wrote that other stuff. It was getting late and I must have been thinking about something else.

[RainDreamer, BSN, RN]

That's correct for both needles and IVs. Like Beth said, as the number goes up, the needle gets thinner.

[S.T.A.C.E.Y, LPN]

RainDreamer said:

That's correct for both needles and IVs. Like Beth said, as the number goes up, the needle gets thinner.

True, but just to confuse you, urinary catheters measured in 'French' are the opposite. The bigger the number the bigger the cath. Smaller the number smaller the cath.

IVs and Foleys = Guage vs French = Opposite

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

I used to work in manufacturing before I became a nurse. Wire gauges are the same as needle gauges- the lower the number, the bigger the wire.

[vamedic4, EMT-P]

S.T.A.C.E.Y said:

True, but just to confuse you, urinary catheters measured in 'French' are the opposite. The bigger the number the bigger the cath. Smaller the number smaller the cath.

IVs and Foleys = Guage vs French = Opposite

Yeah, that used to confuse the snot out of me...just why is that I wonder?? ?

[RainDreamer, BSN, RN]

S.T.A.C.E.Y said:

True, but just to confuse you, urinary catheters measured in 'French' are the opposite. The bigger the number the bigger the cath. Smaller the number smaller the cath.

IVs and Foleys = Guage vs French = Opposite

Yeah I know, but Conrad had first mentioned that IVs and needles were numbered differently, and they're not. Was just trying to clear that up.

[Jonathank]

Relevant questions for bumping this old thread:

WHY is it that this is true? Whose idea was this?

There must be an explanation if it's also true of wire.

[all4ofus, ASN, RN]

Jonathank said:

Relevant questions for bumping this old thread:

WHY is it that this is true? Whose idea was this?

There must be an explanation if it's also true of wire.

I found another thread that has a good explanation involving how many times a wire has to pass through successively smaller holes to reach the desired diameter. Read the thread "quick Needle gauge question-diameter." There's a "hole" discussion about it, LOL! ?

[MunoRN, RN]

The "Gauge" measurement system is based on a measurement of how much of something it takes to weigh a certain amount. I believe this started with old gun ammunition. For instance, a 12 gauge shot is considered 12 gauge because it takes 12 of them to weigh 1 pound. Smaller shot would require more shot to weigh 1 pound: so it would have a higher number even though it is smaller.

A pretty outdated unit of measurement but it's what we've got.