CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE Fine-needle aspiration biopsy has been accepted worldwide for breast lesions. However, some questions remain, including the appropriateness of the puncture method. The objective of this work was to compare aspirates obtained by the auto-vacuum device and by the syringe pistol holder. DESIGN AND SETTING Randomized trial for validation of diagnostic method, at Hospital das...

OBJECTIVE The technique used to perform transabdominal chorionic villus sampling (CVS) is not standardized, but aspiration of villi is generally obtained by discontinuous vacuum created in a syringe, manually or by a hand-grip device. We evaluated the feasibility of a new method of performing CVS which employs a 4-mL Vacutainer connected to the needle, producing a continuous negative pressure. ...

Procedures involving phlebotomy are critical for obtaining diagnostic blood specimens and represent a well known and recognized problem, probably among the most important issues in laboratory medicine. The aim of this report is to show spurious hyperkalemia and hypocalcemia due to inadequate phlebotomy procedure. The diagnostic blood specimens were collected from a male outpatient 45 years old,...

We describe receptive and distributive needle/syringe sharing among injection drug users (IDUs) in Kabul, Afghanistan. In this cross-sectional study, IDUs completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Logistic regression identified correlates of needle sharing in the last six months. Receptive and distributive sharing in the last six months were reported by 28.2% and 28.7% of participant...

Aim-To demonstrate the feasibility of studying specific gene expression in fine needle aspirates from clinical lesions. The reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique was used to demonstrate CD44 gene expression in cells from diagnostic fine needle aspirates taken from patients attending the outpatient clinic for breast diseases.Methods-Polyadenylated RNA was extracted f...

BACKGROUND Needle exchange programmes (NEP) provide injection drug users (IDU) with sterile injection equipment and receive used needles in exchange. In this paper we describe the use of new syringes and NEP by IDU and characteristics associated with using NEP in 1993. METHODS Street-recruited IDU were interviewed in five US locations: Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago, New York City, and Los An...

The choice of needle diameter can influence the pain felt by the patient. A well-designed randomized controlled trial (RCT) showed an inverse relation between needle diameter and pain. A smaller needle also forces the injector to slow down, minimizing pain from volume expansion. A longer needle (e.g., 1 1/4” v. 5/8”) is useful for injecting larger areas. In addition, warming the solution result...