Needles & Syringes For Sale in Mesa & Sun City, AZ

A hand with glove holding a syringe in a blue background

A Guide to Needles and Syringes

We’re used to seeing needles at the doctor’s office, but sometimes they play a role in home medical care too. Whether you tolerate medical needles or they give you the heebie-jeebies, here is some information on how to handle them safely in a residential setting.

Please treat needles and syringes carefully and safely! If you have any questions, we’ve got experienced staff at our two locations of Southwest Mobility. Please call or stop by our stores in Mesa and Sun City, near Phoenix, Arizona.


A silver Halyard quincke spinal needles in a blue background

What Are Sharps?

A sharp is medical shorthand for any device with a sharp point or edge that can puncture or cut skin. In addition to hypodermic needles, that includes scalpels, lancets, and wires. Syringes equipped with hypodermic needles may be used by patients or their caregivers to manage medical conditions including diabetes, hepatitis, allergies, arthritis, cancer, HIV/AIDS, infertility, migraines, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, blood clotting disorders, and psoriasis. They may also be used to administer medication or fluids to pets.

A silver BD whitacre spinal needles in a blue background

Proper Handling of Sharps

It’s critical to practice proper handling and disposal of medical sharps. They are dangerous prior to use, by virtue of their sharp point. After they’ve been used they are even more hazardous, because they are now a biohazard. There is a risk of transmitting bloodborne pathogens from an infected person to a needle, and from that needle to someone who gets poked with it accidentally.
When you are handling a fresh sharp, don’t unwrap it until you’re ready to use it. Always keep it pointed away from yourself and others. Keep your fingers away from the sharp tip to avoid injury. Never attempt to bend or recap a sharp.

A silver Havel's® non-insulated echogenic needles

Proper Disposal of Sharps

The only appropriate way to dispose of sharps is in a sharps container dedicated to that purpose. These containers are clearly labeled and must be disposed of according to the provider's instructions. Keep the sharps container at eye level and within reach. Never put your fingers inside the sharps container. If you notice a needle sticking out of the container, don’t attempt to push it in with your hands. A trained person can push it back into the container with tongs. Otherwise, call to have the container removed.

How Syringes Work

A syringe is a pump-like device that’s used to inject or remove liquids. Syringes are necessary for hypodermic needles to deliver liquid medicine via injection.

Injections fall into several medical categories:

  • Intravenous injections penetrate the vein
  • Intramuscular injections deliver medication into the muscle
  • Intradermal injections target in between the skin layers
  • Subcutaneous injections are directed underneath the skin

A syringe consists of a tube that tapers at one end with a plunger in the opposite end. The plunger creates a seal, so you can pull the plunger back and create suction, or you can push the plunger in and force fluid out of the tube.

Syringes are attached to hypodermic needles to perform injections. Syringes can also be other devices that work with the plunger action described above, such as feeding syringes, irrigation syringes, and ear syringes.

If handling sharps is one of your responsibilities as a patient or a caregiver, we hope you will treat them with respect and dispose of them appropriately. The staff at Southwest Mobility is always available to answer questions and help find home medical solutions for every issue. We look forward to assisting you at our two stores in Mesa and Sun City, near Phoenix, Arizona. We work with insurance, too.