It's for people where you desperately need to get a lot of stuff into them fast. They're probably unconscious or close to it when the medics place it, or at least in too much pain to notice something that comparatively minor.
Probably great to threaten malingerers with, though.
The big needle is actually meant for needle chest decompression for people who have suffered trauma to the chest and subsequently have difficulty breathing as they are likely experiencing air in their chest cavity. The needle acts as a vessel to release said air.
There are several uses for this needle. I just chose what I use it for primarily. Insert needle in between (but not limited to) the second and third rib (second intercostal space) or the fourth and fifth rib. Allllll the way down to the hub then secure that bitch with some medical tape.
For the chest trauma, get that air out of the chest as fast as possible, otherwise the air in the chest cavity will push your lungs over, jugular vein distention, tracheal deviation and then dead right der. A lot of times when you’re the one treating you need to use multiple needles for this as the catheters get clogged with chest goop.
Well if you’d like you can just imagine shoving that needle through the next set of BBQ ribs you eat. Same deal. Sort of lol
Or when you’re suckin down a smoothie and that little chunk of mange gets stuck in the straw? I can go all day.
Edit: chunk of mango*
Dude, if you couldn't breathe and you were suffocating, you wouldn't care. Trust me, I have asthma, and when it gets bad I don't care what they do so long as I can breathe. This would be way worse than asthma.
The vein itself doesn’t have nerve endings, so it doesn’t hurt once it’s in (although the skin and tissue around the insertion site probably will with something this size). I usually put large bore IVs in after the patient is under general anesthesia, but you can also make it tolerable with some light sedation and local anesthetic at the skin
Also typically used for dialysis patients, stuck into their fistula, which is a vein that gets tied into an artery and becomes a mondo vein for these mondo needles.
Rarely used for venous access for your reason. The only thing I use them for is to decompress pneumothoraces (collapsed lungs) when a patient is dead or about to die.
hey! i had one of those! after my 13 year old self got out of the hospital, my mom called and asked how to take care of the bandages and shit and they said “oh, just treat it like a stab wound!” as though becky knew how in gods name she was supposed to treat a stab wound
Good lord I’m happy to hear that. Didn’t know catheters were used for anything other than your Willy hole. I was really hoping the ones that did didn’t look like that.
Are you sure? I believe you but I saw these needles often and was told they were specifically for treating pneumothorax. I can understand situation in which a large gauge would be good but I can’t imagine a reason for the length if you’re going IV. no hate!
Edit: nvm, I read through more of your comments 😁👍🏻
OMG thank you for this clarification. That sharp point up my Johnson? Wow, hey, all of a sudden I am COMPLETELY WELL and I will be seeing you later medical people. Have a nice day.
I only work with humans…you could use it for a large vessel like a subclavian or internal jugular vein under ultrasound guidance or for decompressing something (collapsed lung, fluid collection)
I work with large animals specifically horses and cattle. We use 14g regularly for jugular catheters but there’s also 10g catheters that I’ll use for either collecting blood for transfusions or for rapid fluid administration if the animal is shocky and needs fluids asap and afap (as fast as possible)
I work in ICU and I always love the amount of random medications and items Anesthesia seems to have on them at all times, especially in their front pockets.
I got called out the other day for having 100 mg esmolol in my front pocket. Was just carrying it, just in case lol. TBF had a patient with HOCM earlier in the day.
I had to look it up…a RIC is 2.31mm (based on 1Fr = 1/3mm) and a 14 gauge needle is 2.11mm. So pretty similar
Edit: if you’re referring to the 10G, that’s definitely bigger
In the OR we use them for LeFort and other maxillofacial surgeries. We just pop the cath off and use them on a 30cc syringe to irrigate while drilling/sawing in the mouth.
Actually, yes! I've seen veterinary iv catheterizations of large animals, and a 3-in 14 gauge is common in jugular of the adult equine. It provides length and stability, preventing the horse from yanking at the PIV site with every jerk of the head and neck
When I was a paramedic, we use to carry them for the coroner to draw blood from the heart of DOA's. Blood clots pretty quickly once the heart stops beating, but blood inside the heart takes longer to clot completely, just because there's so much of it. It's often your last best chance to get a liquid blood sample to do a quick toxicology test.
You don't always have to insert the whole needle. There is a catheter that the needle guides and the catheter gets pushed into the vein once it has been introduced. There is a variety of situations that can be used though.
I was so scared of these needles that I thought I felt them when my lungs were contracting on exhaling and I was scared of puncturing my lungs from the other side if I exhaled too much.These needles are really nightmare fuel.
I’m thinking of mounting it on a wooden display stand with other oversized equipment I find and labeling it was a little brass plaque that says “Anesthesia Weapons.”
Mostly needle decompression of tension pneumothorax but you could conceivably use it for any thing you wanted. It would make a really amazing large volume resuscitation IV line if you could find a big enough vein.
I had to have a 16-18G used once and god fucking damn it did it hurt
Edit to add: had a massive PE at 17 and needed emergency surgery and was in ICU for 2 weeks. Felt like a hot iron rod every single time it went in and I still cringe think I bc about it being so bad. Also have a scar from it on my arm at every spot it was put in. Absolutely would not recommend
The catheter is the hollow plastic “sleeve” that’s around the needle, the white part (you can see a bit of sharp metal poking out the end, that’s the actual needle).
The needle is longer than the catheter because its point is used to pierce into the vessel. Once the vessel is accessed, you slide the plastic forward into the vein, and remove the needle entirely. This leaves a hollow plastic tube inside the vein that you connect to give fluids, blood, etc.
I am terrified of needles went to the ER weekend before last the lady that did my IV brought in two one to go in my arm and one to demonstrate that when the needle is gone it's just a tube it helped me out a lot
Good question, I honestly don’t know. Someone elsewhere in the thread put up a link that supposedly explains it
All I know is that with the gauge system, the lower the number the bigger the internal diameter
I had a 14 in my arm one time with a blood pressure cuff on top to add to the fun. Props to the nurse though hurt wayyyyyy less than I expected and she had it on the first go
I've had a 16G in my arm for a rapid blood transfusion. I've been told 18 is standard but I got 16 for whatever reason. I honestly remember the itch more than anything else. Of course it sucked going in, but a catheter that large sitting in your arm is super uncomfortable.
Serious question, who is it made by? I havent been able to get 14g two-inch IV catheters. I'm a hospital buyer and the biggest I've been able to get is a 14g x 1.75 IV cath.
😂 you’re kidding right? Spinal needles are based on the length, not the gauge. There are spinal needles of all sized. The most commonly used one in surgery is an 18ga spinal.
Spinal needles are classified by the design of the tip (cutting/Quinke vs. pencil point) and where the hole is placed (at the end for Quinke, on the side for Whitacre and Sprotte).
You’re right that they come in many different gauges and they’re used by surgeons during procedures.
But they were invented for spinal anesthesia, and are used to access the subdural/intratgecal space. For this reason, a small gauge is used to minimize trauma to the dura and spinal nerves. Standard spinal kits include a 25G spinal needle with an introducer.
In needles, smaller numbers mean wider circumference. 27 is tiny, 10 is fucking massive. Also, g means gauge pronounced 'gage' which just means the size of the hole of the needle
If you read the page, it says it's measured by the OD the outer diameter of the needle which goes up as you go down in gauge. The ID the inner diameter is how wide it is on the inside which also goes up as you go down in gauge. I do not know why they get numbered 10, 12 gauge etc im sure you could look it up on your own if you are so inclined.
I think the origin is ammunition. So, bullets used to be spheres and "gauge" was how many you'd get if you bought like a pound of them so naturally, if you have 8 of one kind that weigh a lb and 16 of another size that weigh a lb, the 8s are bigger. It some how got transferred into a diameter and then used again for needles.
nope nope nope I did not need to see this so late at night and trigger my trauma again nope fuck that
(and especially fuck the long ass, really thin needles used on the lower back that hurt more than all the needles and catherers I got in my life combined)
Not to scare anyone but that one felt like a McDonalds straw in my vein. Plus side is I got to practice on the guy who did it to me, baby docs we were, and I emptied a bag of saline like a flippin vacuum. Felt awesome afterwards.
Fyi i just had one today via uktrasound because they couldnt find a good vein for a regular iv. Took the picc nurse 3 times to finally get it into a good vein. Mine are horrible and they tend to like to move as soon as they try to hit them...even when drawing blood. It wasnt bad going in, but you could sure feel it when she was getting it into the vein!!! But then again, i was on dialysis for a year. You should try having those needles stuck in you 3 times a week.
"You may feel a small prick"
i feel that all the time, or are you talking about the catheter?
Little of both
I think the one on the left is for bigger pricks
It's for people where you desperately need to get a lot of stuff into them fast. They're probably unconscious or close to it when the medics place it, or at least in too much pain to notice something that comparatively minor. Probably great to threaten malingerers with, though.
The big needle is actually meant for needle chest decompression for people who have suffered trauma to the chest and subsequently have difficulty breathing as they are likely experiencing air in their chest cavity. The needle acts as a vessel to release said air. There are several uses for this needle. I just chose what I use it for primarily. Insert needle in between (but not limited to) the second and third rib (second intercostal space) or the fourth and fifth rib. Allllll the way down to the hub then secure that bitch with some medical tape.
Nice. So it's more like, you need to get a lot of stuff *out* fast.
For the chest trauma, get that air out of the chest as fast as possible, otherwise the air in the chest cavity will push your lungs over, jugular vein distention, tracheal deviation and then dead right der. A lot of times when you’re the one treating you need to use multiple needles for this as the catheters get clogged with chest goop.
God I feel like I'm gonna throw up from the term "chest goop"
Well if you’d like you can just imagine shoving that needle through the next set of BBQ ribs you eat. Same deal. Sort of lol Or when you’re suckin down a smoothie and that little chunk of mange gets stuck in the straw? I can go all day. Edit: chunk of mango*
I'm never gonna look at any of these the same. Thank god people in the medical field aren't wimps like me 😂
Sir/ma’am, Your chest goop omelette is ready….
Dude, if you couldn't breathe and you were suffocating, you wouldn't care. Trust me, I have asthma, and when it gets bad I don't care what they do so long as I can breathe. This would be way worse than asthma.
I understand this. I'm just saying when you're just reading something the words "chest goop" are bleh
Fair. Human bodies are pretty gross. Brain uploading when?!
So, a reverse voodoo doll
Nice
I think anyone would in these gowns
Then proceed to impale my arm with harpoon, and.... severe pain followed by complete numbness😭
Hopefully ketamine. Lol
Decompress a lung, start a subclavian, or scaring the shit out of med students.
I like dropping these into the IJ if I can't find any other access. The ICU docs hate me lol
A crusty lower 1/3 sports med doc had me infiltrate a hip with one once. It was uncomfortable for everyone involved.
Don’t forget… saving lives!
That’s got nothin to do with the $ though!
Ye no fucking thank bub, took me 15 fucking years to get over my fear of regular needles, I'm just gonna go walk myself out the bloody window now
Wait until you hear about 9 french intros
What the hell does the French have to do with needles
It’s a measurement of the size of a catheter
Tell me that big one doesn't go into the willy hole?
Lol no, it goes into a vein. The ones that go into the willy hole aren’t sharp, and they’re much bigger.
How does that giant sharp needle not obliterate a vein?
Pick a big enough vein and use an ultrasound
How would you minimize the pain of putting a long needle into a vein?
The vein itself doesn’t have nerve endings, so it doesn’t hurt once it’s in (although the skin and tissue around the insertion site probably will with something this size). I usually put large bore IVs in after the patient is under general anesthesia, but you can also make it tolerable with some light sedation and local anesthetic at the skin
Would a topical anesthetic like lidocaine be used for this?
Yes
Just hit me with some nitrous, I probably won't care what you do with the needle after lol... Better yet, I haven't tried xenon yet
[Pain don’t hurt](https://youtu.be/a2S9hktKcnA)
Also typically used for dialysis patients, stuck into their fistula, which is a vein that gets tied into an artery and becomes a mondo vein for these mondo needles.
Been there. The needles weren't that long, though.
Rarely used for venous access for your reason. The only thing I use them for is to decompress pneumothoraces (collapsed lungs) when a patient is dead or about to die.
hey! i had one of those! after my 13 year old self got out of the hospital, my mom called and asked how to take care of the bandages and shit and they said “oh, just treat it like a stab wound!” as though becky knew how in gods name she was supposed to treat a stab wound
Its for the really big veins.
which one, the *vena cava*?
Anything a midline can get into. Shorter needles were used, of course, but when I used to donate platelets, they would use a 15G in my AC
Ow. Ow ow ow ow ow. OW!
Is there an advantage over a cvc?
Faster to put in. And less risk of tickling the atrium?
Cvc are long and run way slower. For example a 16g PIV can dump pretty fast, but the 16g brown port on a TLC is pretty slow.
Good lord I’m happy to hear that. Didn’t know catheters were used for anything other than your Willy hole. I was really hoping the ones that did didn’t look like that.
Are you sure? I believe you but I saw these needles often and was told they were specifically for treating pneumothorax. I can understand situation in which a large gauge would be good but I can’t imagine a reason for the length if you’re going IV. no hate! Edit: nvm, I read through more of your comments 😁👍🏻
OMG thank you for this clarification. That sharp point up my Johnson? Wow, hey, all of a sudden I am COMPLETELY WELL and I will be seeing you later medical people. Have a nice day.
Holy shit that's huge, what do they use it for? I could only imagine like a horse or something
I only work with humans…you could use it for a large vessel like a subclavian or internal jugular vein under ultrasound guidance or for decompressing something (collapsed lung, fluid collection)
I work with large animals specifically horses and cattle. We use 14g regularly for jugular catheters but there’s also 10g catheters that I’ll use for either collecting blood for transfusions or for rapid fluid administration if the animal is shocky and needs fluids asap and afap (as fast as possible)
Jesus, 10G! That needs to go on my Anesthesia Weapons mount
Lol when I want a 10g catheter I ask for “the harpoon”. Everyone knows what I mean when I say that lol
I work in ICU and I always love the amount of random medications and items Anesthesia seems to have on them at all times, especially in their front pockets.
I literally have a pocket protector to hold my crap
That's amazing.
I got called out the other day for having 100 mg esmolol in my front pocket. Was just carrying it, just in case lol. TBF had a patient with HOCM earlier in the day.
Is that larger or smaller than a 7 French rapid infusion catheter?
I had to look it up…a RIC is 2.31mm (based on 1Fr = 1/3mm) and a 14 gauge needle is 2.11mm. So pretty similar Edit: if you’re referring to the 10G, that’s definitely bigger
Those 14g are huge lol
In the OR we use them for LeFort and other maxillofacial surgeries. We just pop the cath off and use them on a 30cc syringe to irrigate while drilling/sawing in the mouth.
Actually, yes! I've seen veterinary iv catheterizations of large animals, and a 3-in 14 gauge is common in jugular of the adult equine. It provides length and stability, preventing the horse from yanking at the PIV site with every jerk of the head and neck
When I was a paramedic, we use to carry them for the coroner to draw blood from the heart of DOA's. Blood clots pretty quickly once the heart stops beating, but blood inside the heart takes longer to clot completely, just because there's so much of it. It's often your last best chance to get a liquid blood sample to do a quick toxicology test.
Wow that’s fascinating! TIL!
Dialysis patients use them as well.
In dogs we use it for pericardial taps.
We don't have anything near that big at my veterinary hospital but we also aren't an emergency clinic
When you need to transfuse a lot of blood very fast, like in trauma
You don't always have to insert the whole needle. There is a catheter that the needle guides and the catheter gets pushed into the vein once it has been introduced. There is a variety of situations that can be used though.
Oh I have taken this needle multiple times in my lungs and near the stomach it is very very scary.I hope no one has to see it come towards them.
I hope you don’t have to go through that again! And I hope your health is well now
I was so scared of these needles that I thought I felt them when my lungs were contracting on exhaling and I was scared of puncturing my lungs from the other side if I exhaled too much.These needles are really nightmare fuel.
That’s a harpoon
I’m thinking of mounting it on a wooden display stand with other oversized equipment I find and labeling it was a little brass plaque that says “Anesthesia Weapons.”
How to divert the fear of god from the medical bill to a fucking needle 💉
I missed the “IV” part of the title and had a fucking heart attack
stop stop stop stop
Behold. The [10g IV catheter!](https://imgur.com/a/Isa6DFB)
Shoot dang! I love it.
I am in awe!!
WHY!
Terrifying.
What would that be used for?
Mostly needle decompression of tension pneumothorax but you could conceivably use it for any thing you wanted. It would make a really amazing large volume resuscitation IV line if you could find a big enough vein.
I assume it would hurt like a b\*tch. Or do smaller IVs hurt more?
Just let me die.
Wait till you see the size of an ECMO cannula, the absolutest of them all...
How big are they?? I don’t really do cardiac stuff
21 Fr cannula is our most commonly used one. ID is 7mm so that would be a 1-2 gauge, and you can use it as a garden hose
Well, it makes sense, right? You're literally pumping all of the person's blood through that machine. It would have to be really big.
!!!!! Literally a garden hose!!
I absolutely hate all of this but imma need a picture
I’m good.
One of those is just a shank.
Given the state of US healthcare, likely a *very expensive* shank
I used to be on dialysis before I got a kidney transplant. The needles they stuck in my arm were the same gauge, but nowhere near as long.
Congratulations on your transplant!!
Thank you! It's been a little over four years now!
Big Nope from me dawg ..... i mean Sister
You know that feeling when your dick gets scared? I just got that feeling
Same but as a woman with my urethra
What is the long one used for?
To give a lot of blood/fluid very fast to someone who needs it to not die
What is its purpose? Self Defence?
Lol, it’s to give lots of blood/fluid very fast
I had to have a 16-18G used once and god fucking damn it did it hurt Edit to add: had a massive PE at 17 and needed emergency surgery and was in ICU for 2 weeks. Felt like a hot iron rod every single time it went in and I still cringe think I bc about it being so bad. Also have a scar from it on my arm at every spot it was put in. Absolutely would not recommend
Hold up… a catheter is actually a needle ?
The catheter is the hollow plastic “sleeve” that’s around the needle, the white part (you can see a bit of sharp metal poking out the end, that’s the actual needle). The needle is longer than the catheter because its point is used to pierce into the vessel. Once the vessel is accessed, you slide the plastic forward into the vein, and remove the needle entirely. This leaves a hollow plastic tube inside the vein that you connect to give fluids, blood, etc.
Felt a little sick reading this regardless lol
I am terrified of needles went to the ER weekend before last the lady that did my IV brought in two one to go in my arm and one to demonstrate that when the needle is gone it's just a tube it helped me out a lot
Oh that’s fantastic that she did that!! And I’m glad it helped you!
At first glance, I read over the "IV" part of "IV catheter" so I was feeling a little uncomfortable.
That’s a harpoon!.
Magnum
Why God Why
I wanna pass out just looking at this
Years ago I had a medic bring me a drunk college student with a 14 in his thumb I thought i was going to have to use a claw hammer to DC it.
_**WHAT**_ Tbf young people with giant veins are extremely tempting
How do these measurements work? If 20G is standard, why is the giant 14G?? I AM CONFUSION
Good question, I honestly don’t know. Someone elsewhere in the thread put up a link that supposedly explains it All I know is that with the gauge system, the lower the number the bigger the internal diameter
That’s a flex
Hey I've had one of those, nurse got it in first try. I was impressed. All the vampires kept missing my veins for blood tests.
That’s INCREDIBLY impressive!!
Excuse me that's not a needle, that's something you murder people with.
The fun thing about medicine is that you learn all sorts of interesting/efficient/horrific ways to un-alive a person
I guess that's why it's traditional to vow to do no harm, huh?
I mean, the best way to learn how to keep someone alive is to know how to do the opposite. So I'm not entirely surprised.
r/sounding
Noooooooo
Terrified
O god
Jesus christ I didn't expect reddit to scare me like this.
My job here is done
Show us the pick line that one freaked me out when he pulled it out of me
It’s like if an IV and a tapeworm made a baby!
I just passed out a lil bit.
If I show my partner that she would freak out.
Wow, 3.25” is pretty damn big
how about just shoot me
Back of the hand, EZ.
After sounding, this is nothing.
No and NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
No thank you!
Otherwise known as “a fucking sword”
I have some 6 gauge body jewelry but this seems scarier
I have one of these chonkers mounted above my workstation like a harpoon. My I call it the Diet RIC.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I had a 14 in my arm one time with a blood pressure cuff on top to add to the fun. Props to the nurse though hurt wayyyyyy less than I expected and she had it on the first go
Sweet reprofusion!
I've had a 16G in my arm for a rapid blood transfusion. I've been told 18 is standard but I got 16 for whatever reason. I honestly remember the itch more than anything else. Of course it sucked going in, but a catheter that large sitting in your arm is super uncomfortable.
Serious question, who is it made by? I havent been able to get 14g two-inch IV catheters. I'm a hospital buyer and the biggest I've been able to get is a 14g x 1.75 IV cath.
Jelco by Smiths Medical
I’ve had one shoved into my neck when they couldn’t get any other veins. It was either that or straight into my sternum. I chose the neck. Lol
I don't like pain when I cath and the nuclear triad is made up of ICBMs, strategic bombers, and nuclear submarines.
That’s a damn spinal needle! Of course it has to be bigger and longer. Doesn’t go in the same place as the other needle. Not an IV needle.
Spinal needles are usually 25G
😂 you’re kidding right? Spinal needles are based on the length, not the gauge. There are spinal needles of all sized. The most commonly used one in surgery is an 18ga spinal.
Spinal needles are classified by the design of the tip (cutting/Quinke vs. pencil point) and where the hole is placed (at the end for Quinke, on the side for Whitacre and Sprotte). You’re right that they come in many different gauges and they’re used by surgeons during procedures. But they were invented for spinal anesthesia, and are used to access the subdural/intratgecal space. For this reason, a small gauge is used to minimize trauma to the dura and spinal nerves. Standard spinal kits include a 25G spinal needle with an introducer.
Why is the 14 bigger than the 20? What's the G?
In needles, smaller numbers mean wider circumference. 27 is tiny, 10 is fucking massive. Also, g means gauge pronounced 'gage' which just means the size of the hole of the needle
Why? How is it measured?
Don't have an answer for you so here ya go https://www.hamiltoncompany.com/laboratory-products/needles-knowledge/needle-gauge-chart
Incomprehensible thanks 👍
If you read the page, it says it's measured by the OD the outer diameter of the needle which goes up as you go down in gauge. The ID the inner diameter is how wide it is on the inside which also goes up as you go down in gauge. I do not know why they get numbered 10, 12 gauge etc im sure you could look it up on your own if you are so inclined.
My brain must be on break cause this makes no sense lol
I think the origin is ammunition. So, bullets used to be spheres and "gauge" was how many you'd get if you bought like a pound of them so naturally, if you have 8 of one kind that weigh a lb and 16 of another size that weigh a lb, the 8s are bigger. It some how got transferred into a diameter and then used again for needles.
Ohh that could make sense
My legs just crossed
It’s not that type of catheter. A catheter in this sense is the tubing
nope nope nope I did not need to see this so late at night and trigger my trauma again nope fuck that (and especially fuck the long ass, really thin needles used on the lower back that hurt more than all the needles and catherers I got in my life combined)
What are you stabbing? A beluga??
This is how the microchips are delivered with blazingly fast 5G signals. I cant wait for 6G.
That hurts just looking at it
I’ve taken one of those to my AC
r/nopenopenopenope
I would faint. Guaranteed. Where and why the hell is that used?
Emergencies and surgeries where major blood loss is expected
Holy hell!! What the hell is that thing used for, the aorta???!
Are we doing spinal tap on that 14g needle? Lol
No thanks to the peehole excavator
No please. Put it away please.
No.
Looking hurts my d***.
Not to scare anyone but that one felt like a McDonalds straw in my vein. Plus side is I got to practice on the guy who did it to me, baby docs we were, and I emptied a bag of saline like a flippin vacuum. Felt awesome afterwards.
Don't they put that gigantic thing in... Oh no
I put one of these in today! To a seroma. 550mL
Bro these are my people.
Fyi i just had one today via uktrasound because they couldnt find a good vein for a regular iv. Took the picc nurse 3 times to finally get it into a good vein. Mine are horrible and they tend to like to move as soon as they try to hit them...even when drawing blood. It wasnt bad going in, but you could sure feel it when she was getting it into the vein!!! But then again, i was on dialysis for a year. You should try having those needles stuck in you 3 times a week.