Technique for correct intramuscular injections

07/04/2018 Intramuscular injection is a simple and popular method of introducing medications into the human body. However, if this procedure is carried out carelessly, complications may arise, which can be avoided if you master the correct technique for performing it.

Knowledge of the intramuscular injection procedure algorithm is needed not only by doctors. In the life of every person, a situation may arise when it is necessary to undergo a course of injections on your own. Before practicing intramuscular injections in practice, you need to carefully study the theory regarding this manipulation. Compliance with all standards will avoid complications.

Injection sites

The best places for intramuscular injections are the upper part of the buttock, the vastus femoris muscle and the deltoid muscle of the shoulder. When performing an injection into the buttock, it must be visually divided into 4 quadrants. The injection is made in the upper outer quadrant - this is the safest area without large nerves and blood vessels. In the case of the hip, its anterior surface is also divided into 4 quadrants. Inject into the outer outer quadrant.

The correct place for an injection in the shoulder can be found like this: mentally divide the arm from the elbow to the shoulder joint into 3 equal sections. The center of the middle area will be the most suitable location. However, it is more difficult to give an injection in the shoulder without assistance than in the thigh or buttock.

• Advice
  : if IM injections are prescribed as a course and not as a single procedure, choose a different place each time, and also try not to hit the points of previous injections, so as not to provoke inflammation and compaction.
• Important
  : before performing an injection into any muscle, it must be relaxed as much as possible to prevent the needle from breaking in the process.

What types of injections are there?

Depending on the purpose for which experts prescribe injections, there are also types of injections:

• intradermal;
• subcutaneous;
• intramuscular;
• intravenous;
• intra-arterial;
• intraosseous;
• parabulbar.

It is impossible to answer clearly how much it costs to give an injection at home, because they all differ in the complexity of administration, as well as in the type of medicinal solutions.

Departure is paid separately - from 550 rubles

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Subcutaneous injections are more effective than, for example, taking drugs by mouth, since they are easily absorbed through the loose tissue under the skin and also do not cause any harm. This is mainly the area of ​​the shoulders, under the shoulder blades, the lower area of ​​the armpit, hips, and also some areas of the abdominal cavity.

Intramuscular injections are a popular method of injection therapy. Muscles allow solutions to be distributed evenly and quickly throughout the body, since they are intertwined with a network of blood vessels, and the drug, entering the blood, maintains an equal concentration for several hours, which means it provides a fairly long-lasting effect. Due to the characteristics of the injection, places with a significant muscle layer are selected, as a rule, these are the gluteal areas, the anterior surface of the thigh or the deltoid muscle.

Intravenous injections are given so that the solution goes directly into the blood. Specialists often choose the ulnar veins, since they are located quite close to the surface, as well as the carpal and forearm veins, less often in the lower parts of the body. During these injections, it is especially important to follow antiseptic rules and sanitary standards.

Stages of injections

The intramuscular injection procedure is divided into the following stages:

1. Medical supplies are being prepared. You need: a sterile syringe, a drug in an ampoule, alcohol wipes for injections (or alcohol + cotton pads). The syringe must be checked for free passage of the needle by passing air through it using the movement of the piston. If the medication is not in a ready-made solution, but in a powder, then it must be diluted in the correct proportions with a special solvent.
2. Asepsis of the ampoule and medicine set is carried out. The ampoule is disinfected with an alcohol wipe at the opening site, after which the solution is drawn into the syringe. You must try to ensure that the needle does not touch the walls of the ampoule.
3. The injection site on the patient's body is selected. Afterwards it is treated with an alcohol-soaked napkin - in a circular motion outward from the center. This is a mandatory manipulation in order to prevent complications of intramuscular injections.
4. The syringe is cleared of air. The syringe is lifted up by the needle and air is released from it. You need to press the plunger until a small drop of the drug appears from the needle.
5. An injection is given. It is performed with a quick movement, at a right angle. The medicine should be administered gradually, pressing the syringe plunger with equal force.
6. The syringe is removed. After administering the medicine, the needle is sharply removed at the same angle at which it was inserted, applying a napkin with alcohol to the injection site and lightly massaging the skin with it. This is just as important to do after the injection as before.

Can all types of injections be given independently?

Many patients, when faced with the need to set up a course of injections, believe that injections at home are an easy process, but this is not so. If, for example, intramuscular injections do not pose a serious danger, and it is quite easy to do them even for yourself, then intravenous injections should be entrusted only to specialists. First of all, because they require a professional approach: it is not always easy to find a vein and it is very easy to leave bruises, and intravenous injections carry a much greater danger in terms of the likelihood of infection and infection.

To protect yourself, it is better to entrust any injection to a medical professional; besides, it is not necessary to go to the hospital; you can use the service of paramedics to administer injections at home.

For preventive purposes, it would be a good idea to take a massage course from qualified specialists at our clinic. Not only can it help cope with the consequences of poor conditions (bruises, hematomas, etc.), but it will also improve overall well-being.

Possible complications

Improper execution of an intramuscular injection can cause various complications: from minor to painful. Therefore, it is better to familiarize yourself with possible ones even before they appear:

• Hematoma
  . Forms when the needle touches a blood vessel or when the drug is injected too quickly. Prevention of minor hemorrhages is to use sufficiently sharp needles for injections and adherence to the correct technique. If a hematoma has already formed, you need to apply an alcohol compress to it. To speed up the resorption of hematomas, you need to apply ointments specially designed for this.
• Infiltrate
  . A sign of infiltration is thickening and pain at the injection site. They occur due to multiple injections in the same place and due to incorrect technique for administering the medicine. In order not to provoke the occurrence of infiltration, it is necessary to carefully select injection sites, change them, control the temperature of the injected drugs and carry out all manipulations correctly. If infiltration occurs, it is recommended to apply a warm compress to it. The iodine mesh also speeds up the resorption of seals.
• Needle breakage
  . This can happen due to severe tension in the muscles during the injection process, due to poor quality of the needle, and also due to the insertion of the needle all the way to the cannula. To avoid breaking the needle, it must be inserted to a depth of no more than 2/3 of its length. The patient must lie down during the procedure. If the needle breaks, you need to use tweezers to pull it out. If the fragment gets too deep under the skin, you need to see a doctor to have it surgically removed.
• Abscess
  . If you do not follow the rules of disinfection, an abscess may develop - purulent inflammation. Signs include redness of the skin, pain, and increased general temperature. To prevent an abscess, it is necessary to follow the rules of asepsis. If a complication has already occurred, surgical intervention is prescribed.

If you cannot get rid of a post-injection complication on your own, be sure to see a medical professional.

We wish that the necessary injections are always easy and painless for you.

Basic safety rules when injecting yourself in the thigh

Injections in the thigh must be given to yourself with extreme caution so as not to damage large blood vessels and peripheral nerves.

A prerequisite for self-therapy with injection administration of drugs is compliance with the following safety rules:

• it is strictly forbidden to reuse a disposable syringe and needle, since such actions are fraught with infection of the tissues in the area of ​​the injection;

• if it is necessary to carry out long-term drug therapy using intramuscular injections, it is necessary to alternate the left and right sides of the thighs in order to eliminate the factor of the formation of extensive hematomas;
• You should not inject into the same point of the thigh tissue, as this will lead to the appearance of symptoms of acute pain and will also cause the development of inflammatory processes;
• use imported syringes, as they are distinguished by sharper and thinner needles that do not cause severe pain in the area of ​​their insertion, having minimal trauma to epithelial and muscle tissues;
• before intramuscular administration of the drug, it is always necessary to perform an antiseptic treatment of the skin surface to avoid complications;
• If minimal signs of an inflammatory process or the onset of subcutaneous bleeding or the formation of an extensive hematoma appear, you must immediately seek medical help.

It is important to remember that at the moment of self-injection into the outer thigh, the lower limb should be relaxed. For this purpose, the leg is placed on a flat surface, since excessive tension can provoke involuntary contraction of the muscle with damage to its tissue structure. A similar reaction occurs immediately at the moment of needle insertion.

Selection of needle for intramuscular injection - caliber and length

First, you need to know that a syringe consists of three main elements:

• Needles : the part of the syringe that pierces the skin and penetrates the muscle (caliber and length will be discussed later)
• Cylinders : containers for measuring and containing medicinal solution
• Piston : element that controls the flow of the drug

The needle must be long enough to penetrate the muscle to the desired depth. The two main characteristics of a needle are gauge and length. The gauge corresponds to the diameter of the needle. The larger the gauge, the smaller the needle diameter. For intramuscular injections, 22-25 gauge needles are usually used.

The length of the needle is measured in millimeters (mm) and typically depends on the person's body type. However, the standard needle length for intramuscular injections ranges from 45-70 mm. Be sure to select the optimal gauge and length of needle for each injection site to prevent any pain that may result from improper needle insertion, tissue damage, or irritation.

Injectable preparations usually come in a kit with suitable needles. If in doubt, be sure to contact your healthcare provider to ensure that the gauge and length of the needle you are using is correct.

Advantages:

Anesthetic injections for pain in the hip joint are a way to relieve severe pain in the shortest possible time. The effect of chondroprotectors and other therapeutic agents lasts for a long time. A course of intra-articular injections allows you to delay and even avoid surgery, reduce the dosage and amount of medications taken, which is very important for problems with the digestive organs. Injection therapy can be repeated many times, since adverse reactions and complications are rare. The procedures have a beneficial effect on cartilage, accelerating healing and slowing down destructive processes.