Comparing Various Types of Medical Vials for Different Medical Purposes

If you’re working toward starting a medical practice, we congratulate you! However, you’ll soon find out that one of the big challenges is getting together some of your medical equipment.

You’ll have to pay close attention to medical vials. There are many vial types that you should consider for different medical purposes.

This guide will show you the medical vials that you might need to invest in for your practice.

Here’s what you’ll need to buy:

Simple Vials

These are multi-use vials that serve a general purpose. You can use them for liquids as well as solids.

These vials are also used for a range of materials. For example, if you need essential oils or even massage oil, then simple vials are ideal for you. But it’s also great for storing forensic evidence!

No matter what type of medical practice you run, you’ll always need an abundance of simple vials at your disposal.

You can look up the company info for what to look for in a supplier for most vial types.

Single Use Vials

As the name suggests, these should only be used for one quick use. These are often used if you put a potentially harmful liquid in a vial. But they can also be used for other beneficial uses such as vaccines.

These have to be bought in abundance, as you’d expect. You have to estimate how often you’ll use the single use vial for a specific need.

For example, let’s suppose you need to be vials to store the flu vaccine. You have to estimate how many vaccines you’ll administer. You want to have a slight excess of this number.

A general rule of thumb is to have 10% more than what you’ll need. Let’s say you plan on administering 100 vaccines for the flu in a year. So, you want to keep 110 single use vials for storing the vaccine each year.

Plastic Vials

Now let’s look at what material you should use for your vials. Plastic vials are one of the most common choices.

Plastic is more recyclable so it’s a favorite for many medical companies. It’s also better for regulating the temperature of the material.

However, it’s not ideal for flammable or stronger materials. If you need to store chloroform, for example, plastic vials aren’t ideal. You also can’t have liquids such as acids.

Plastic vials aren’t always the best quality. You should order a few at a time to assess their quality. Order in bulk after you’ve assessed and compared different plastic vials.

Glass Vials

These are much more versatile and are also recyclable. However, you must practice using glass vials before investing in bulk.

These break easily and are often costly. These are also not the easiest to hold. You have to learn how to hold them firmly and always use protective gloves.

Glass vials should always be bought in bulk. This is to ensure that you’ll always have a backup in case some break. Make sure you also buy them in different sizes.

Glass vials often have the most variety in sizes compared to other vial types. These are the most common vial types for most medical procedures and scientific research.

Now let’s look at some of the features of different types of vials. This will help you make your decision on which vials to buy for your medical practice.

Amber Glass Vials

These are glass vials that have an amber coloring. This is great for regulating the temperature of your liquid.

It’s also ideal for when the light is low in your lab. It’s the preferred vial for many research and lab scientists. These are also great for light-sensitive materials.

Amber glass vials are often pricier than traditional glass vials. This is because they’re often high in demand. Make sure you order them in bulk. In fact, in many cases, you’ll have to order a supply to last you for one year.

You’ll also need training on how to use amber glass vials before you buy them. You must always wear gloves and protective eyewear when using amber glass vials.

Cryogenic Vials

It’s rather rare that you’ll need to use cryogenic vials. Nevertheless, they play an important role in medical procedures and research.

These are meant for freezing liquids or keeping them in very cold temperatures. In fact, they can go as low as negative 196 degrees. These are often used for preserving rare liquids or even specimens for several years.

These are often used for genetic testing and study. Genes and DNA are frozen for several years. They’ll then be studied in the future for research.

If medical and scientific research is part of your practice, then you must invest in cryogenic vials.

You must gain proper training on how to handle cryogenic vials, especially in cold temperatures. You’ll also need to specify what type of research you’ll be doing. In most cases, you can’t just buy cryogenic vials without any explicit permission first!

Autosampler Vials

These vials are used for medical research or for complex procedures. These vials get automatically filled with the material.

It’s great, for example, if you need to fill several vials with a vaccine. These are always bought in bulk as a result. You’ll need training on how to use them as well as using the machinery to load them.

Autosampler vials are often the most affordable option for vials. Many new medical practices might want to buy them in bulk if other options aren’t as affordable.

Get Your Medical Vials

Now you know about the different types of medical vials and their purposes.

You’ll have to mainly choose between plastic and glass vials. Both have their advantages and serve different purposes.

For specialized procedures and services, you’ll want to look into amber glass vials and cryogenic vials. Autosampler vials are great for complex and time-consuming procedures.

Make sure you follow the tips in this guide to choose the right vial types for your practice. You must also get proper training to learn how to use them.

You’ll find more medical and scientific content on our website.