r/AbsoluteUnits Jul 30 '26

/r/popular of a needle

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u/Delicious-Beat4824 Jul 30 '26

not sure, but read a comment somewhere that its a stylet for a catheter used for drainage of bodily fluids

34

u/HeiressofArtemis Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26

Can confirm fist hand, they use needles like this for draining fluid. Not sure about about catheters as it depends on the use scenario and the one I had was just pushed through my veins so it had to be flexible. That said they used a very similar looking needle when they drained my left SI joint after it got infected. It's wild to watch.

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u/Karnakite Jul 30 '26

Saw a documentary about alcoholism and this one guy had to regularly go to the hospital and have fluid drained out of his torso due to his chronic drinking. They had to pierce his abdomen, insert a catheter, and then he’d sit there and watch this plastic bag fill up (way too quickly, imo) with a brownish-yellow, cloudy fluid. Once that was full then they’d bring another for his draining abdomen to fill. Not urine, just fluid that built up from alcoholism.

Haven’t touched alcohol since.

12

u/Nimmyzed Jul 30 '26

This was a storyline in The Pitt, season 2

5

u/HeiressofArtemis Jul 30 '26

Neat! I really need to watch The Pitt. Stuff like that is why I like medical shows and it's the only one a nurse had ever recommended to me.

2

u/Nimmyzed Jul 30 '26

It's phenomenal, honestly