General

The Safest Way to Recap a Needle

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7 Sep 2016 - General

The best way to get rid of used needles is to throw them away in the sharps disposal container instantly in order to avoid any injuries. In case the disposal box is not available at the same time, you will need to recap the needle first. If you need to put the cap back on the needle (recap), never bend or break the needle and never remove a hypodermic needle from the syringe by hand. Recapping should be performed using a mechanical device or the one-handed technique. After recapping, needles should be placed in a disposal container at the next available opportunity.

The One-Handed Needle Recapping Method

Step 1: Place the cap on a flat surface like the table or counter with something firm to "push" the needle cap against
Step 2: Holding the syringe with the needle attached in one hand, slip the needle into the cap without using the other hand
Step 3: Push the capped needle against a firm object to “seat” the cap onto the needle firmly using only one hand.

the technique is shown in the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYUbpBLceTg

Medical Student

Well done Maria Cristina Inserto Folding the needle shaft at an angle is a good idea. It is good that you have a good and understanding assistant to help you and ensure the safety in the place. Extra caution should always be present when dealing with any sharp object especially if contaminated with somebody’s blood fluids. I usually tend to support the cap against the table or even the wall to shut the cap firmly...

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Medical Student

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Periodontics

Yes, this is the safest, but it's often hard to fish the cap and "close" it so I often just slide it in and position it at the farthest area of the dental chair table. Sometimes I'm able to close firmly, but then sometimes we fold the needle shaft at an angle so that we can hit the sulcus between the teeth and the gum (if we're going to do an intra-lig adiminstration) so closing it shut will be hard. So I always tell my assistant to check the table from time to time. I'...

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Medical Student

Jennifer Winter Of course safety is the top priority. Although it is not the fastest, there is no other safe alternative in this situation. For every 100 needlestick injuries involving Hepatitis C-positive blood, four result in transmission (four per cent risk). For Hepatitis B needlestick injuries, the risk is 30 per cent (30 in 100) and for HIV the risk is just 0.4 per cent (four in 1000).
In case you got p...

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Surgery

I am more familiar with this method called as "fishing". One-handed needle recapping method sounds more official though. Back in my nursing days as well as several rotations during clerkship and internship we had to administer injections or even draw blood. This method is not the quickest way to recap a needle especially when you have 10 more extractions in line but it truly is the safest. I have experienced getting pricked by a needle after an extraction (at an infectious disease hosp...

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