Automatic syringes

Scientists have announced a new type of medical needle that automatically adjusts the direction of the injection into the vein, thereby significantly reducing the number of cases of injection failure.

One third of the 25 million intravenous injections done in the UK each year fail, usually because doctors and nurses put needles straight through the veins without attention.

This new type of needle is capable of self-adjusting the direction when hit into the vein.

But now that problem has been solved thanks to a new syringe designed automatically detected when entering a vein and preventing the needle to deviate to other places.

As the vein passes, pressure changes to activate the elasticity, the needle immediately retracted. The needle is placed in a plastic tube, allowing the drug inside the syringe to enter the bloodstream.

Designers from Nottingham Trent University say the needle can be made at the same price as traditional needles.

"The way they are used is the same as the existing ones, only they work automatically, " says lead researcher Dr. Amin Al-Habaibeh.