Context: A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay has developed a needle-free shock syringe.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about working of shock syringe.
What is the Shock Syringe?
- Traditional syringes with needles rely on piercing the skin with a sharp tip. However, the shock syringe does not have a needle.
- Principle of Working:
- It uses high-energy pressure waves (shock waves) that can travel faster than the speed of sound to pierce the skin.
- When generated, these waves compress the surrounding medium, such as air or liquid, through which they travel.
Working Mechanism:
- The shock syringe uses a tiny tube with three sections (the driver, driven, and drug holder) which work together to create the shockwave-driven microjet to deliver drugs.
- Pressurised nitrogen gas is applied to the driver section of the shock tube.
- The gas forces the liquid drug (held in the drug holder section) through the tube, to create a high-velocity microjet.
- The microjet travels at a speed nearly twice as fast as a commercial aeroplane at take-off.
- This microjet of drug exits the nozzle of the syringe and penetrates the skin.
Significance:
- Minimises tissue damage and ensures consistent and precise drug delivery.
- Prevent the occurrence of blood-borne diseases caused by needle-stick injuries due to mishandling or improper disposal.
- One shock syringe can perform multiple drug delivery shots (E.g., over 1,000 shots tested) offering cost-effectiveness.
- Pain-free injections for patients with fear of needles.
- Utilisating shock syringe could make immunisation drives more efficient.