Peptipedia › Glossary › Dead space
Mixing & materials
Dead space
·independent & ad-free
Dead space - The small amount of liquid that stays in the needle and syringe hub and is not injected. With very small doses this can matter.
Also called dead volumeresidual volume
Dead space is the volume of liquid that remains in the needle and in the plastic part where the needle attaches to the syringe after pressing the plunger, and therefore never enters the body.
Why it matters:
For large volumes dead space is negligible, but for very small peptide doses it is a meaningful fraction. Insulin syringes with a fixed needle have especially low dead space - one reason they are preferred for peptides.