Syringes without Needles - Oral, Irrigation, & Bulb Syringes

Irrigation syringes and oral syringes are the most common types of syringes without needles, but tuberculin syringes can also be used without a needle. Oral syringes are used to measure and dispense liquid medications and foods for small children and pets. Irrigation syringes have a blunt tip and they are used for irrigating and evacuating during medical procedures, gently cleaning the site with water or saline solution, as needed. They can also be used for tube feeding. Bulb syringes for aspiration and pipettes are classified as syringes without needles as well.

While they serve multiple purposes, syringes without needles are typically called oral syringes.

Syringes without needles are not classified as sharps and don't need to be disposed of in special sharps containers. However, if their tip is very fine, they could puncture plastic bags. This is why, to stay on the safe side, disposable syringes without needles and pipettes should be collected in sturdy cardboard boxes and packaged as laboratory plastic. Depending on what they had been filled with, they might need to be labeled as either biohazardous or non-hazardous. In the case of syringes contaminated with biohazards, the cardboard box should be lined with a biohazard bag.

Bulb syringes are small, made of rubber, and ideal for clearing a baby's stuffed nose. Besides aspiration, they can also be used for irrigation procedures. To use it for nose suctioning, hold the syringe with the bulb in your palm and the tip between the forefinger and middle finger. Push all the air out of the bulb syringe with your thumb before gently inserting it into the nose. Release your thumb to draw the fluids out. If they are too thick, you can loosen them with a few drops of saline. Allow the baby to breathe in between suctions. When you are done, clean the syringe with soap and hot water and rinse it several times in clean water. Washing and rinsing the inside of a bulb syringe are performed by suctioning water through the tube. Simply squeeze the bulbous end and release while the tip is submerged to draw water through the syringe.

Oral syringes are usually fitted with a smooth oral tip connector that prevents accidentally attaching needles to them. Others come with a catheter tip and a tip protector. However, many disposable syringes are multipurpose, which is why some syringes without needles come with a slip tip or a Luer lock tip. These special tips allow them to also be used with needles, if necessary.

Firstly, you must prepare the saline solution. You may buy it from the pharmacy as a powder and mix it according to the instructions on the label or you can prepare your solution with distilled water and non-iodized salt. If you don't have distilled water, you can boil a cup of water and mix it with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a dash of baking soda. Draw the lukewarm solution into an irrigation syringe and lean over the sink, tilting your head with one nostril down. Place the blunt tip of the syringe inside your nose and push the liquid into the nostril while keeping your mouth open to breathe. Let the saline solution drain either through the other nostril or your mouth, gently blow your nose and repeat the steps for your other nostril.

AllegroMedical.com carries a wide selection of syringes without needles. They come with different tips and are available in multiple sizes, from 1 to 60 mL. You can also find bulb syringes and economic packs of graduated pipettes.