What is a jet injector?
Unlike a hypodermic needle, jet injectors use high pressure to deliver narrow streams of anesthetics, steroids and other medications to a selected site. The streams are approximately the same diameter as those delivered by a 25-gauge needle.
How are jet injectors used?
The chamber holding the injectable medication is filled. Next, the clinician presses on the firing button several times to force out the air and prime the head assembly, then checks for blockages by firing off a stream and checking to see if there are any buzzing noises or if the stream looks fuzzy.
If no blockages are present, the clinician then places the sheath on the injector and applies the tip to the area to be treated. With a press of the firing button, the site is ready.
Between uses, the injector may be disinfected in a holder filled with a bactericidal solution.
At the end of the work day, the unit must be cleaned and sanitized for patient protection as well as to avoid staining by medication left in the unit. The head unit is taken apart and any leftover medication disposed. After flushing with disinfectant, the entire unit may be sterilized in an autoclave or an ultrasonic machine.
It is recommended that the units be returned to the manufacturer annually for servicing.
Why are jet injectors used?
Jet injectors deliver the medicine without the physiological traumas associated with needles. The injection site remains virtually free of swelling, allowing the physician or dentist to suture the surgical incision or wound without further distortion of the tissue, leading to a shorter recovery time. The anesthetic is delivered in micro-droplets and are taken up more quickly by the myelin sheaths on the nerves involved.
In dental procedures such as mandibular blocks which require deep needle penetration for anesthetic delivery due to the volume of medication involved, a jet injection numbs the area and allows insertion of the needle and delivery of the fluid in a relatively painless manner.
The needle-free technology offers a psychological boost to the patient as well. Since the injections are virtually painless and take effect quickly, anxiety over injections is reduced or even eliminated, leading to less stressful procedures.
With their reusable tips, jet injectors also reduce medical waste pollution. They may be sterilized by autoclaving, soaking in a disinfectant solution, or other processes that do not involve dry heat.
The small doses of medication administered by a jet injector save money. Only 0.1 cc of anesthetic or another drug is delivered every time the firing button is pressed. It spreads into an inverted cone shape approximately six centimeters in diameter. Depending on the procedure, that may be plenty to numb the area in question.
Patients with cardiovascular disease have an additional benefit: the administered medications only affect the injection site and surrounding areas, eliminating concerns about systemic impact.
Where are jet injectors used?
Jet injectors are used in dental offices, podiatrists’ offices, ambulatory surgical centers, hospital emergency rooms and inpatient operating rooms. They are also appropriate for field medical facilities such as those run by the military and NGOs.
Rehabmart is proud to carry superior quality jet injectors from Mada Medical.
Hulet Smith, OT
Rehabmart Co-Founder & CEO
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