Pain-free injections could be on the way with patch-like invention - Polidicks

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/uNR2wAx.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/u3mhYGJ.jpg[/IMG] Getting an injection often fills people with dread. But what if the procedure was completely pain-free? Scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have created a novel device that can quickly deliver painkillers, vaccinations, or even skin treatments like collagen painlessly. Called a microneedle patch, it has dozens of tiny needles only 600 microns long (about six hair's breadth) and half as wide. These "microneedles" can penetrate human skin deep enough to deliver treatments effectively, without causing pain, said Dr Kang Lifeng, a researcher at the university's Department of Pharmacy. With the microneedles, drug treatments can be delivered within five minutes, compared with 45 minutes when a patch is used. Dosages can be altered by varying the size of the patch. [URL="http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/health/story/pain-free-injections-could-be-the-way-new-nus-patch-20140905#xtor=CS1-10"][Click here to read more][/URL]

I've never had a problem with needles except those huge ones they use at the hospital to administer drugs or whatever to your vein in your arm (IV?) that one freaks me out That thing looks pretty nifty though, almost curious to be able to try it.

I've researched this, really hoping it passes all clinical trials successfully. Kids scream. A lot.

This sounds good provided its not that expensive to create, i always get really faint when im taking injections or having blood taken, or hell watching others get blood taken. Its not a massive issue though because i get it done either way. I had a vaccine for meningitis about 2 weeks ago and i had a massive ache in both my arms for a week and felt dead for a day or two, so i'd overall say that the injection isn't really the worse part.

I'm just glad my veins are big as fuck so nobody ever misses when they give me the needle. Once the blood actually squirted up in the air

Couldn't this be abused if it fell into wrong hands?

I hate needles but I've always been fine as long as I look away when they do it.

[QUOTE=Spirit_Breaker;45897607]Couldn't this be abused if it fell into wrong hands?[/QUOTE] As abuseable as any conventional syringe. Just because there is no pain doesn't mean you don't feel the patch. As a matter of fact you could probably easily inject someone with a syringe in a crowd if you cover up the initial puncture with a shove or something. Syringes aren't really painful but it is more the anxiety of getting one that makes it such a scary event for some people.

why have one needle in you when you can have [I]hundreds of tiny ones[/I] I would hope theyre right when they say it's not painful with all those little needles, you might as well douse a cactus in medicine and then slap it for your treatment

[QUOTE=Spirit_Breaker;45897607]Couldn't this be abused if it fell into wrong hands?[/QUOTE] No pain doesn't equal no sensation, I'm pretty sure you'll be aware of someone slapping a patch on some exposed flesh.

[quote]With the microneedles, drug treatments can be delivered within five minutes, compared with 45 minutes when a patch is used. [/quote] Oh, what a time to be alive.

Just note, when you get a vaccine in your arm they are injecting the solution into the muscle, which is why it hurts for hours after. With Phlebotomy, they are directly entering a vein right below the surface and drawing blood.

I hope this actually picks up traction and doesn't disappear. I've got an irrational phobia of porcelain dolls, and needles. Being in the vicinity of needles turns me into a terrified gibbering mess.

[QUOTE=Mebit;45897643]I hope this actually picks up traction and doesn't disappear. I've got an irrational phobia of porcelain dolls, and needles. Being in the vicinity of needles turns me into a terrified gibbering mess.[/QUOTE] It won't disappear, there's places that use another method of injection and that's using compressed air to fire the vaccine into you, although if you're using it for mass vaccination then it carries a risk of contamination between patients.

People shouldn't bitch about getting needles in the arm until the feel the pain of getting 2 needles in the big toe. People also should bitch about getting needles until they experience a nurse say 'Doctor, it's coming out the other side' when getting a needle in the big toe which I experienced one time when getting my ingrown toenail treated.

I remember posting an article on this tech in '12.. it was a concept back then. Didn't post it, but read it: [url]http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-microneedle-vaccine-patch-boosts-flu.html[/url] This removes the chance of a needle acting as a vector.

[QUOTE=mcattack1092;45897726]People shouldn't bitch about getting needles in the arm until the feel the pain of getting 2 needles in the big toe. People also should bitch about getting needles until they experience a nurse say 'Doctor, it's coming out the other side' when getting a needle in the big toe which I experienced one time when getting my ingrown toenail treated.[/QUOTE] 2 needles in the palate, that was the worst pain I have ever went trough, and that means a lot since I have gone trough stuff that sounds much much worse. I still feel the 2 holes up there.

As someone who spent arround 3 weeks on a hospital recovering from a spine surgery and had a both arms with these huge as fuck needles to pass on the drugs and pain treathment this is great!

The two experiences with needles I can remember were at the dentist where I had four adult molars removed, and when I had my ingrown toenail removed and they put too little anaesthetic in so of course they just jammed a needle right into the infected area. Safe to say I'm not a fan of needles any more, which is a bitch because the nail grew back and grew back nasty.

I've had my blood drawn and IV needles stuck in me, all okay! Though this seems like nothing compared to what some of you guys have experienced... makes me cringe. Before I had my first IV needle stuck in me I had no idea that there wasn't an actual metal needle stuck inside you all the while and it was actually a floppy bit of plastic.

Catheters, man... those things kill!

[QUOTE=mcattack1092;45897726]People shouldn't bitch about getting needles in the arm until the feel the pain of getting 2 needles in the big toe. People also should bitch about getting needles until they experience a nurse say 'Doctor, it's coming out the other side' when getting a needle in the big toe which I experienced one time when getting my ingrown toenail treated.[/QUOTE] Someone in the history of human beings has experienced something far more painful.

People are gonna start injecting weed with rusty patches!!

I have huge issues with needles. Over the years I've gotten better about it (vaccinations don't freak me out as much as they used to) but I still hate getting blood drawn. Maybe it has something to do with the copious amounts of Sonic 3 I played when I was a kid. Equating needles (spikes) with something terrible.

If you close your eyes and don't look you won't feel a thing.

I give blood regularly, needles don't phase me. But hey, if this helps the mass that do fear them I'm all for it.

Everybody in my workplace got free flu shots a few months back. The people administering it had these new tiny needles the size of a shot glass. Could not feel a thing, fucking phenomenal.

I like the needle sting though.

Sounds like this would be a replacement for subcutaneous injections only, and those hardly feel like anything anyway. Drugs that need to be injected intramuscularly would still need a bigger needle that can penetrate deeper.

I hate needles and I hate getting them too. They freak me out and cause a really bad stinging pain that makes it too hard to bear, its not really bad but its tedious These seem like a god send though