DailyDirt: Phlebotomy 2.0
Getting a shot isn't the worst thing in the world, but it's not exactly enjoyable, either. Early phlebotomists used leeches to draw blood from patients, but doctors don't generally recommend that anymore -- and sterile hypodermic needles are far more commonly used. However, if you've ever had one of your veins pierced (sometimes multiple times due to human error), you may have wondered why needles can't be as painless as a mosquito bite. Well, maybe they can in the near future -- it might cost a little more, though.
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- Painless dissolving needles -- called MicroHyala -- come in the form of lots of very small needles on a patch that is applied to the skin. Japanese researchers have tested this delivery system for flu shots and found nearly equivalent effectiveness compared to regular needles. Yay! [url]
- Trypanophobes don't like needles (who does?), and getting multiple "sticks" to find a vein isn't a very pleasant experience for anyone. So how about a robot that can find veins using ultrasound and/or infrared sensors to determine the exact needle insertion point, every time on the first try? [url]
- MIT researchers have been working on a needle-less injector that can shoot medicines in tiny, high-pressure sprays to variable skin depths. Several kinds of jet injectors already exist (similar to the fictional 'Hypospray'), but this prototype device can adjust the pressure and dosage to account for skin types (eg. baby skin, adult skin) and desired injection depth -- as well as possibly inject drugs that are not liquids by turning powders into fluids that can penetrate skin. [url]
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