? Are air bubbles in syringe dangerous?

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Chloe007

Chloe007

Member Since 2019
The other day I had to shoot my Prozinc dose back into the bottle due to an air bubble, I read that was okay, but ever since then my vial has little air bubbles hanging out at the top. Now when I pull the insulin up, I get an air bubble. I manage to release the majority of it but tonight there was a little tiny one hanging out near the plunger...it wasn't nearly big enough to mess with my measurement so I decided it wasn't worth wasting the insulin.

I know it's dangerous to have air bubbles when you're injecting into a vein...but since it's just under the skin, that's okay right? As long as the correct dose is being given.

Has anyone ever experienced air bubbles in a Prozinc vial? Should I pick up a new one? I still have half of this one left... I'd hate to waste it.
 
Air bubbles don't hurt anything.

And just an FYI....regarding the idea of air going into a vein being dangerous...the lethal dose for humans has been theorized to be 3-5 ml/kg and it is estimated that 300-500 ml of gas introduced at a rate of 100 ml/sec is a fatal dose for humans.

That's a lot of air that'd have to be shot into a vein very quickly. Having a few bubbles in your IV at the hospital isn't anything to worry about.
 
Chris & China (GA) said:
Air bubbles don't hurt anything.

And just an FYI....regarding the idea of air going into a vein being dangerous...the lethal dose for humans has been theorized to be 3-5 ml/kg and it is estimated that 300-500 ml of gas introduced at a rate of 100 ml/sec is a fatal dose for humans.

That's a lot of air that'd have to be shot into a vein very quickly. Having a few bubbles in your IV at the hospital isn't anything to worry about.
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Thank you for the reassurance! I didn't think it mattered, but when I looked it up the few old threads I found on here made it seem....questionable I guess. I know in humans it's a long shot even, but kitty's are tiny so I guess I just wanted that extra reassurance that my kitty's not going to drop dead on me because of an air bubble haha. Do you by chance know anything about the bubbles in my Prozinc vial?
 
An air or gas embolism while not exactly a myth is something we don't have to worry about with our tiny syringes.
I used Caninsulin and flicked the bottle if it had any bubbles just like a handsome TV doctor. :rolleyes:
 
@Chris & China (GA)
Quick question for you, and unrelated to this thread. I've been strongly considering switching Oscar to either Lantus or Levemir once I run out of his current Prozinc vial, and upon doing some research on buying from Canada, I came across an older post you made about the subject and thought you might be able to help me get my head around something. Why is it okay for us to ship insulin from Canada for our kitties, but the same doesn't seem to be true for humans? I have a diabetic friend whose about to be driving to Canada to stock pile insulin (we live in Michigan, so not a huge trek) but I don't understand why he can't just buy it online like I plan to do for Oscar. Is it different for humans for some reason? Do I risk having my package seized at customs?
 
I don't think there's an issue with purchasing from Canada for humans or animals. Either way, the pharmacy needs a prescription. I would suggest your friend call Mark's Marine Pharmacy and ask if there would be a problem. The only time there was a problem with shipping was when there was a mail strike in Canada. I don't recall any member having their insulin getting stuck at customs.
 
Chloe007 said:
Why is it okay for us to ship insulin from Canada for our kitties, but the same doesn't seem to be true for humans?
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It's actually illegal for kitties too..."by the book"....but customs doesn't have the manpower to open every package sent from Canada to the US. They pretty much turn a blind eye to it. They're more concerned with suspicious packages that may contain things like heroin, cocaine, etc.

But since I originally found Marks in Vancouver, I'd say hundreds (if not thousands) of sugarcat moms and dads have ordered from them and not once have I heard that it was seized by customs. It's just a non-issue.

Chloe007 said:
I don't understand why he can't just buy it online like I plan to do for Oscar.
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There's no reason he can't...when I first contacted Marks, I talked to the pharmacy manager for a good 2 hours asking questions because it sounded too good to be true (and I'd seen a lot of horrible reviews about other "Canadian pharmacies". They've been shipping to US customers for many years before I knocked on their door! The difference for your friend would be that it'll probably cost him more. While Marks makes it affordable for us (compared to US prices), it's still cheaper to go into Canada and buy it there. If someone is close enough for a day trip to Canada, that's the best way to go.

Customs at the border will let people with a script take insulin across the border for "personal use".
 
Chloe, since you live in a border state you probably know this but others may not. Canada Customs agents can and will dig around in your phone and can be unpleasant in general, maybe it's the job they do. Weed is legal here by federal law but a green card from anywhere on the planet doesn't mean anything. Other than that it's the usual common sense stuff, yes sir/no sir/tuck your shirt in. Don't forget to have a doughnut eh! :cool:
 
I worked for years around big industrial things that could squash you and once spent a month inside one. Never again. :blackeye:
 
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