PMID- 24522003
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20141110
LR  - 20211021
IS  - 1759-9873 (Electronic)
IS  - 0964-5284 (Print)
IS  - 0964-5284 (Linking)
VI  - 32
IP  - 2
DP  - 2014 Apr
TI  - Examination of surface conditions and other physical properties of commonly used 
      stainless steel acupuncture needles.
PG  - 146-54
LID - 10.1136/acupmed-2013-010472 [doi]
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The present work examined the surface conditions and various other 
      physical properties of sterilised single-use stainless steel acupuncture needles 
      from two of the most popular brands widely used in many countries. METHODS: 
      Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images were taken for 10 randomly chosen 
      needles from each brand. Further SEM images were taken after each of these 
      needles underwent a standard manipulation with an acupuncture needling practice 
      gel. A comparison of forces and torques during the needling process was also 
      carried out. RESULTS: The SEM images revealed significant surface irregularities 
      and inconsistencies at the needle tips, especially for needles from one of the 
      two brands. Metallic lumps and small, loosely attached pieces of material were 
      observed on the surfaces of some needles. Some of the lumps and pieces of 
      material seen on the needle surfaces disappeared after the acupuncture 
      manipulation. If these needles had been used on patients, the metallic lumps and 
      small pieces of material could have been deposited in human tissues, which could 
      have caused adverse events such as dermatitis. Malformed needle tips might also 
      cause other adverse effects including bleeding, haematoma/bruising, or strong 
      pain during needling. An off-centre needle tip could result in the needle 
      altering its direction during insertion and consequently failing to reach the 
      intended acupuncture point or damaging adjacent tissues. CONCLUSIONS: These 
      findings highlight the need for improved quality control of acupuncture needles, 
      with a view to further enhancing the safety and comfort of acupuncture users.
FAU - Xie, Yi Min
AU  - Xie YM
AD  - Centre for Innovative Structures and Materials, School of Civil, Environmental 
      and Chemical Engineering, RMIT University, , Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
FAU - Xu, Shanqing
AU  - Xu S
FAU - Zhang, Claire Shuiqing
AU  - Zhang CS
FAU - Xue, Charlie Changli
AU  - Xue CC
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
DEP - 20140212
PL  - England
TA  - Acupunct Med
JT  - Acupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society
JID - 9304117
RN  - 12597-68-1 (Stainless Steel)
SB  - IM
CIN - Acupunct Med. 2014 Apr;32(2):100-1. PMID: 24687982
MH  - Acupuncture Therapy/*instrumentation
MH  - Needles/*standards
MH  - Stainless Steel/chemistry/standards
MH  - Surface Properties
PMC - PMC3995252
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - Acupuncture
OT  - Complementary Medicine
EDAT- 2014/02/14 06:00
MHDA- 2014/11/11 06:00
CRDT- 2014/02/14 06:00
PHST- 2014/02/14 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2014/02/14 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2014/11/11 06:00 [medline]
AID - acupmed-2013-010472 [pii]
AID - 10.1136/acupmed-2013-010472 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Acupunct Med. 2014 Apr;32(2):146-54. doi: 10.1136/acupmed-2013-010472. Epub 2014 
      Feb 12.