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The Acufast System uses innovative accessories – the Acuclip and Acubase – to make working with bulk needles simple. Watch as Dr. John Stan demonstrates how he uses the Acuclip and Acubase with his Acufast needles in his clinic.
Acufast Pouch Packs
Key Features
Small Pouch Size: Acufast Pouch Packs are up to half the size of comparable brands on the market, meaning less packaging waste.
Separate Guide Tubes: There are no guide-tubes with these pouches. With Acufast, guide tubes are offered separately and for a small cost, while conventional bulk needles put one tube per 10 needles.
Easy-Open Top: Acufast Pouch Packs have an easy-to-open top, allowing easy access to the needle handles. See video demonstration.
Vacuum-Sealed: Pouches are vacuum sealed, with two additional seams that hold the needles in place during shipping, preventing accidental poking through of the needle tips or damage during shipping.
Pouch Pack Dos & Don’ts
Dos:
Don’ts:
How to Open an Acufast Pouch Pack (3 Steps)
Acufast Guide Tubes
A Simple Formula:
- Calculate the average number of same size needles used on one patient then divide this number by 1000.
- The resulting number should be the number of tubes you will need to purchase for each box.
- Next, further divide this number by 5 to determine the number of pouches.
- Do this calculation for each size needle that you use in your clinic.
An Example:
- In general, assume you use 20 same-sized needles for each patient (10 on the front and 10 on the back).
- (1000/20) = 50 tubes total per box of 1,000 needles
- Now take the number of tubes you need and divide by
- 50 tubes / 5 = 10 pouches
- Therefore, since each pouch of tubes contains 5 tubes I would need 10 pouches.
Needle Use FAQs
Needle Sterility FAQs
Do It Yourself Acufast Needle Utility Bin Hack
This very convenient Needle Bin makes working with bulk needles super easy and convenient. Once you have it set up in the morning, you can load needles, control your waste, and replenish needles on the fly. It is small enough to place on the treatment table or on a small cart beside the table. Plus it is all contained and easy to move from treatment room to treatment room. This is also a great way for community Acupuncture clinics to take their needles around the treatment area and manage their waste.
The following configuration is just how I set mine up, but of course, you will come up with your own configuration to meet your needling style.
What you will need.
- 1 x Variera Box from Ikea: 13 1/4″ x 9 1/2″ (34×24 cm)
Article Number:701.772.55
$8.99
- 4 x Acubases $8.95 each total of $35.80 or buy 5 with a $25% discount total price $33.56.
- 4 x Acuclips at $1.00 each total price $4.00
- 4 of your most commonly used sizes and tubes (if you use them) for these sizes. In this example we use .16 x 15mm, .20 x30mm and .25 x 40 mm and .25 x 50 mm
- Adhesive-Backed Rare-Earth Magnets from Lee Valley tools or other hardware or online stores for similar products
Total price $21.50 from Lee Valley, prices might be better at other places but the Lee Valley ones are very strong, which is what we want! - 2 x Stainless Steel Open Tray – Small (GS310)
8.5″ x 4.1″ x 0.8″s
2 at $9.95 total price $19.90
- Clear Plastic deep tray from Dollar Stores
2.75 inches (7.5cm) square
- 5 metal strips that come with the Acubase.
- A strip of metal tape with adhesive on one side – hardware stores or online
Step One: Arranging and Placing the Strips
Arrange the metal strips 2 on the far long edge inside, 2 on the long dipped front edge, and the last strip, ½ inch from the bottom in the middle of the right side of the tray under the handle. See photo for locations.
Step Two: Making the extra needle holder tray
Using the rare earth magnets place two per side, each magnet about 1 cm from the bottom of the tray on the inside of the tray.
With the magnets in place, place the needle pouches with handles down so that the handles clip to the magnets. Each size will hold one of the 4 main sizes of needles that are used in throughout the day.
Once in, the extra-needles are in place you can use the center space to put cotton swabs.
The whole tray will clip to the right side of the tray where the metal strip was placed under the right handle.
Step Three: Making the “magnetic, used needle tray”
This tray will hold your used needles safely in your tray, till you get them to the sharps container after finishing the treatment. Stainless steel is generally not magnetic. With our proposed tray, we will use metal strips adhered to the underside of the tray. This will allow for a magnet to stick to the bottom of the tray. Having the magnet positioned on the underside, will create a magnet field that extends through the tray to the topside. When used needles are placed in the tray, the handles which are attractive to the magnetic field will firmly be held in place. Once the treatment is done, you simply take the tray out of the utility bin bring it over to the Sharps container, pull the underside magnet, down and away from the tray to release the needles, then drop into the Sharps container. Warning do not slide the magnet off the bottom. Doing so, will pull the contaminated needles in the tray along with the magnet and potentially off the tray. We suggest practicing with some clean needles to get a feel for the method.
First, cut two 1” (3 cm) lengths of metal tape. Peel off the paper backing to reveal the glue side. Place one of the strips on one end of the underside of tray and center it in the middle and press firmly to adhere the metal to the stainless steel. Repeat with the second strip on the other end of the tray.
Place a flat rare earth magnet that is thin enough to not make the tray wobbly when it is resting in the bin
When ready to discard the needles pull the magnet down and away from the underside.
Step Four: Putting it all together
Place the extra needle deep tray in the bin so that the magnets clip to the side.
Place the used needle tray in the bin beside the extra needle tray.
Place the second stainless steel tray in the remaining space. This tray will be for your pouch waste and your used tubes to be emptied into their respective recycling bin after the treatment is over.
Place the four Acubases on the front and back strips.
Take a new pouch of needles of the shorter needles, remove top and position in the Acuclip and attach to the front left Acubase. Then repeat with the remaining fours sizes of needles and arrange the two shorter needle pouches to clip on the front and the longer needle pouches to clip onto the back side.
Place your tubes for each size in the tube holder on the Acubase for each size of needle and now you are ready to start your day with your first patient.
After treatment, empty the needle tray, recycle the tubes and pouch waste. Then sanitize the trays with a wipe with alcohol swabs and return to bin, load up with extra needles and cotton swabs and away you go!
Remember using Acufast needles not only reduces your clinic carbon footprint, every two boxes of needles result in a tree being planted! Thanks for being part of the change! 😊
Join the Acufast Movement
Simply by using Acufast Earth Friendly Needles in your clinic you are part of the Acufast Movement – a global collective of practitioners committed to helping their patients and the planet.
Want to have a greater impact? Here are two easy next steps:
1. Try our Acu-Trash Calculator and learn how much acu-trash you will save from the landfill
2. Sign up for your FREE Personal Acufast Dashboard to see your acu-trash savings and number of trees planted over time. Plus, get sharable resources for your clinic and other fun bonuses!
