If exchanges switch to this new type of syringe, it would help protect people from infection.īut we didn’t know if people who inject drugs would be willing to use this new equipment.

But sometimes equipment still gets re-used or shared. Needle exchanges supply sterile equipment to people who inject drugs, to stop people having to share with others. The far left shows a very high dead space syringe, and the far right is the lowest. This diagram shows how syringe design can affect the amount of blood collected and transmitted when sharing needles. Previous research has found that low dead space syringes could reduce the chance of spreading infections, such as HIV and hepatitis C, if they’re re-used or shared. The ‘dead’ space in a syringe holds blood after it’s been used.

People who inject drugs support the use of new, safer ‘low dead space’ syringes, our research has found.Ī low dead space syringe has less space between the needle and the plunger when it’s fully pushed in, compared to traditional injecting equipment.

Dead space story explained