Why don’t they simply wash out the needle for re-use?

In My Humble Opinion
1

As I thought of capital punishment via lethal injection, the following occurred to me. This is a far more sanitary modality of execution than its predecessors. And within a reasonable degree of medical certainty, we believe that those executed by this means suffer no significant physical pain.

We all understand well that no matter how abhorrent, nearly any product can be sold to America well packaged. So, why is capital punishment on its current trajectory? It’s technologically advanced and clean: state sponsored murder becoming as familiar as a physician’s examining room.

I wonder what sorts of medical backgrounds are held by the front line soldiers of the death penalty movement? Surely, death is administered by well trained personnel. But do they think the entire act of lethal injection completely through. For instance, when inserting the IV catheters into the condemned, does one first swab the skin with alcohol? Is it felt necessary that the skin be clean? Furthermore, is a new IV catheter tubing set, needle, and catheter used for each execution? Is there concern regarding viral transmission between the condemned? Why don’t they simply wash out the needle for re-use?

2

It would cost more to clean the old one than use a new one. A box of 20 catheters costs about $15.

3

They need to use sterile technique because if a last second reprieve call comes in before the chemical drip starts, then they haven’t infected the prisoner.

4

Clemency comes through at the last moment, yet the prisoner is now condemned to the long hard road of hepatitis C. The irony.

5
      • No, I think being irony is hyperanemia.
        ~
6

No one would wash out the needle for re-use since the cost of a new needle is far less than the risk of someone later puncturing themselves with the needle and the subsequent risk of acquiring HIV and hepatitis, especially in a prison population.

Needlestick injuries are common. I’ve treated many in my hospital, including myself a couple times. I know people who have contacted HIV from a needlestick injury.

7

Nothing worse than a dull needle. Tools of any kind need to be sharp. A dull tool is dangerous and hard to use.

8

To further add to gruelin1’s comment, needles dull the moment they are used- at least my diabetic injections do. A dull needle causes unnecessary pain and damage to the tissue.

As to the rest of the preparations, it may not be necessary to follow all the steps to avoid infection of the prisoner- who is going to die- but it’s to maintain human dignity, in spite of what the prisoner was convicted for. The prisoner is less likely to struggle and make it difficult if he is treated humanely, even at the end.

Medical practitioners follow the procedures to prevent the spread of infection. To have them go aginst those rules, to re-sterilize throw-away needles and tubing, is contrary to their training. It probably doesn’t even occur to them, for the most part. Dr_Paprika also has a good point- there is a slight but measurable chance of being stuck with an infected needle in the process of sterilization.

I wish they wouldn’t do it at all, but that’s another can of worms.

9

prisoner is less likely to struggle and make it difficult if he is treated humanely, even at the end.
So I guess this means we cant use blow guns and try & hit the prisoner from 20 feet? What larks!

10

And

And

Anybody notice this isn’t a GQ? I wasn’t going for a factual discussion on needlestick risk with resterilization. Honest.

And given prevailing attitutes, a resurgence of drawing and quartering is out of the question :frowning:

CB

11

You must be thinking of Goldy or Silvery…
[sub]thank you, Black Adder[/sub]

12

:dubious: kinda suspisious how u know so much about needles

13

Raxel, welcome to the SDMB, but it might be an idea to rethink that comment.

I agree that it probably doesn’t occur to a medical practitioner not to use a clean, sterile needle. And in following usual procedure, it emphasises that what they are doing is a job. Not killing. a job.

14

That is the illusion that the sanitization of capital punishment creates. Medical practitioners dishonoring the fundaments of our profession should be hoisted on their own petards.

15

It just may be that a dull, and/or contaminated needle is the least of the victim’s worries…

No one mentioned the current theory that death by injection can inflict incredible pain upon the person being executed.

In most states that use lethal injection, once the drip is started, the killing is done in a 3-step process:

  1. Introduce the anesthesia that knocks out the patient

  2. Introduce a muscle paralyzing drug

  3. Introduce the heart-stopping drug.

It’s kind of a mystery why most states use the muscle paralyzer in 2 (above), but they do. What can then happen is, if an insufficient amount of anesthesia is used, one of the other two chemicals can easily overcome the anesthesia, making the patient totally aware of his environment. He is as alert and sensitive as he was before he got on the table, but he is absolutely unable to move any part of his body so much as a millimicron.

Although he looks utterly serene, the heart-stopping chemical that is coursing through his system can be causing him incredible pain througout his entire body!!!

All this was described in a NY Times article a month or so ago. (Maybe one of the SD research adepts can find and post the link.)

If I remember correctly, this theory was developed by researchers working on lower anmals. But no details of the research were divulged in the NYT story.

My guess is, they ran brain wave tests - Electroencephalograms (EEGs) - of the animals while they were being executed as in 1. 2. 3. above.

After the anesthetic was administered, these EEGs probably showed the animal’s brain showing a calm sleep-like pattern at first, but when the anesthetic was neutralized and the heart-stopper was injected, the pain probably rose to horrific levels. My guess is, the EEG would have then showed frantic activity.

This NYT article also showed in what states this 3-step execution procedure is practised.

16

I place relatively less importance on this issue. I haven’t seen the evidence supporting this notion, but I don’t consider it to be a likely scenario. Presumably a standard, large dose of sedative is used for the initial infusion. Variation in individual suceptibility to a given drug is the rule so theoretic underdosage is a concern. However, in the case of lethal injection, one needn’t be stingy with the sedatives. In normal (medical) circumstances, overdosage is avoided as respiratory insufficiency may result. With a lethal injection, though, who cares? Give them all the pentobarbital you want. In the absence of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, my inclination is to poo-poo the idea that lethal injection is painful.

I guess the paralytic is used to make the witnesses to the execution more comfortable. Twitching of the condemned is disconcerting. While not an indicator of suffering, it may be so interpreted. Perceived suffering is no good for capital punishment PR.