John W - With u100 insulin, which is the most commonly prescribed concentration, there are 100 iu's of insulin in each ml. An iu is an "international unit" and is 1 microlitre so u100 insulin is 100 microlitres of insulin dissolved to make 1 ml. An iu is what is meant by units on the syringes and the syringes are marked as u100 syringes so the gradations expect the insulin to be u100 insulin, that is each u marking is really 10 u's of volume. There are other insulin concentrations, u50 may be used for small children and small animals, u500 is used for pumps and insulin resistant individuals that need more than 100 u's in a shot ( yes there are people who need as much as 400 u's in a shot, they're mostly obese people ). There are also u50 and u500 syringes.
I've noticed that many of the nurses at the hospital don't really know their units, apparently the field doesn't attract people who are strong in math. I've also noticed that the nurses at the hospital don't really mix the NPH insulin very well which is quite disturbing as you can easily be overdosed or underdosed if NPH isn't properly mixed before injection. I often think they should have a vial or pen rocker to do the mixing as it does take a long time to mix it right. At one hospital they used an IV pump that must've been designed in the 60's or 70's as it had instructions on how to program it taped to the side, the instructions were how to program it in machine language which I could understand but I couldn't imagine any of the nurses actually knowing what they were doing with that machine. I was quite worried about the dosing I was getting from that machine and indeed felt really dry after it was done.
micksmixxx - If you're talking about the standard insulin for humans, which is 100 i.u. then there are 100 units in 1 ml.
If you're talking about insulin used in pet care, you'll find that there are different strengths that are used as 'standard'. There's 20 strength, 40 strength and 80 strength. These have 20 units per ml, 40 units per ml, and 80 units per ml respectively.
Thank goodness we have nurses who know what they're talking about in the UK.
on a syringe
Jason - One unit is the same as 1ml. Why they put "unit" on syringes is beyond me. Just confuses people.
ReplyDeleteJohn W - With u100 insulin, which is the most commonly prescribed concentration, there are 100 iu's of insulin in each ml. An iu is an "international unit" and is 1 microlitre so u100 insulin is 100 microlitres of insulin dissolved to make 1 ml. An iu is what is meant by units on the syringes and the syringes are marked as u100 syringes so the gradations expect the insulin to be u100 insulin, that is each u marking is really 10 u's of volume. There are other insulin concentrations, u50 may be used for small children and small animals, u500 is used for pumps and insulin resistant individuals that need more than 100 u's in a shot ( yes there are people who need as much as 400 u's in a shot, they're mostly obese people ). There are also u50 and u500 syringes.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed that many of the nurses at the hospital don't really know their units, apparently the field doesn't attract people who are strong in math. I've also noticed that the nurses at the hospital don't really mix the NPH insulin very well which is quite disturbing as you can easily be overdosed or underdosed if NPH isn't properly mixed before injection. I often think they should have a vial or pen rocker to do the mixing as it does take a long time to mix it right. At one hospital they used an IV pump that must've been designed in the 60's or 70's as it had instructions on how to program it taped to the side, the instructions were how to program it in machine language which I could understand but I couldn't imagine any of the nurses actually knowing what they were doing with that machine. I was quite worried about the dosing I was getting from that machine and indeed felt really dry after it was done.
micksmixxx - If you're talking about the standard insulin for humans, which is 100 i.u. then there are 100 units in 1 ml.
ReplyDeleteIf you're talking about insulin used in pet care, you'll find that there are different strengths that are used as 'standard'. There's 20 strength, 40 strength and 80 strength. These have 20 units per ml, 40 units per ml, and 80 units per ml respectively.
Thank goodness we have nurses who know what they're talking about in the UK.
Felex Fff - 100 units = 1ml = 1cc
ReplyDelete