When using the Tao Aspirator, is there any way to balance the negative pressure in the syringe before pulling out the needle from the lesion?
Yes, this can be done. After completing the procurement, push back the plunger to where it started, i.e., at 2cc mark. This will eliminate the negative pressure. The 2cc air in the syringe which acts as a buffer zone will prevent pushing the aspirated material out of the needle. However, balancing the pressure is unnecessary when the aspirated material has already been accumulated in the needle hub (as mentioned in the PROCEDURE, “Pull out the needle after a small amount of aspirated material appears in the needle hub”). Although the aspirated material in the needle will be sucked into the needle hub, it will not be sucked into the syringe when the setting of vacuum force is less than 3cc. The aspirated material in the needle hub is generally enough to make two direct smears. The remaining material is collected by rinsing the syringe and needle with a liquid fixative. In practice, this technique of not balancing the pressure is particularly advantageous for cystic lesions, because the
