The injection, although it may sound mysterious to some, is nothing more than a well-known injection. It often causes concern not only among children, but also among adults - especially if the injection is performed independently for the first time. And this situation occurs even though this procedure has been studied, almost painless and safe. In some cases, patients who are wondering how to properly give an injection into the shoulder intramuscularly are able to cope with this process themselves. It can be easily performed by a doctor after training or a nurse at home.
Benefits and complications
The question of how to give an injection into the shoulder intramuscularly is asked by many people, since this type of injection is the most common. It consists of injecting a solution of the drug into the muscles of the upper extremities; they are well supplied with blood, like the gluteal or thigh muscles. The injection is an alternative to oral medications and has several undeniable advantages. Firstly, in this case, absorption through the gastrointestinal tract is excluded, which protects its mucous membrane from the aggressive effects of certain medications, and also causes the specified solution to be absorbed into the blood much faster (even within 10-15 minutes) than this occurs when taking tablets orally.
Injection into the gluteal muscle is the most common form for administering solutions because it is the least painful site when the needle is inserted. Another common insertion site is the thigh. An injection into the shoulder is performed less frequently due to the risk of muscle damage, and only when a small amount of medication is injected. Therefore, it is important to read the instructions before giving yourself an intramuscular injection. Because of the risk of complications such as infection, nerve damage, or needle breakage, injections must be performed carefully.
The procedure itself is painless and, as a rule, no serious complications occur after it. Rarely, an allergic reaction to the administered drug may occur. And this is the first thing that needs to be checked before giving a subcutaneous injection in the shoulder. If a patient injects himself with medication, such as insulin, for a long time, the injection site should be changed daily. This prevents the occurrence of scars, which, at a minimum, negatively affect the absorption of the substance.
How to prevent scarring
A small vaccination scar on the left shoulder is normal. Its size depends on the innate rate of cell regeneration and the skin's ability to regenerate. Nurses at the maternity hospital know how to inoculate the shoulder with minimal damage to the skin. However, after the vaccine is administered, the body may behave differently, so you should not think that the large size of the scar is the result of a medical error. A scar is formed as the body produces antibodies to microbes and subsequent cell regeneration. Its size depends little on the actions of medical personnel. If the presence and diameter of the vaccination mark were determined by the experience and competence of the medical staff, it would not be noticeable to everyone. By the way, the scar remains even in those people whose childhood post-vaccination wound healed quickly and was practically not inflamed.
It is useless to take special measures to prevent the appearance of a scar. You cannot lubricate the crust with ointments or treat it with any other compositions - this will not affect the size of the scar, but will only disrupt its formation and the process of antibody production. In adulthood, if desired, scars can be removed by peeling or by getting a tattoo on top of them.
You should not refuse vaccination just because it will leave an unsightly scar. Vaccination against tuberculosis is very important - almost every person has “dormant” pathogens of the disease in their body. At any moment they can “wake up”, or a person will receive an additional dose of microbes upon contact with another patient - and tuberculosis will begin. The vaccine helps develop immunity and prevent the sudden onset of the disease.
Vaccine care rules
There is no point in paying increased attention to the process occurring in the area where the injection is performed. If the vaccine turns red, this is normal in the first days (or even weeks) after vaccination. The body must independently produce antibodies to the introduced microbes in order to form immunity. Despite the pain in the first days, the vaccination does not limit the movement of the arm. It is necessary to ensure that the child does not scratch the injection site and does not violate the integrity of the wound. In addition, you should not:
- lubricate the crust with ointment;
- treat with antiseptics;
- apply a bandage;
- remove the crust.
In a word, there is no need to touch the vaccination site again. If possible, there should be access to air; do not wear too tight clothes. Wool fabrics may irritate the injection site.
Execution technique
To perform a subcutaneous injection correctly, the patient grasps a fold of skin and firmly inserts the needle at a 90-degree angle. After the contents of the entire syringe are completely empty, you need to wait a few seconds, carefully remove the needle, and then apply gauze to the insertion site. Compliance with asepsis rules is extremely important. You should remember about skin disinfection: before starting the procedure, it is important to treat the injection site in the shoulder with alcohol. It is also necessary to use disposable syringes, needles and sterile gauze.
Another important point in the technique of performing a shoulder injection is the following: if the injection causes scarring or hypertrophy of the subcutaneous tissue, it is recommended that it be abandoned. Approximately every 2 weeks you should change the side in which the injection is given, for example, the right shoulder to the left.
Shoulder vaccination: what is it done for?
In Russia and the countries of the former USSR, there are two main vaccines that are administered to the left shoulder. These are vaccinations against smallpox and tuberculosis (BCG vaccine). It is after them that scars remain on the hand. BCG is a vaccination that leaves behind a small and imperceptible scar (2-5 mm), but after the smallpox vaccine, the marks may be irregular in shape, structure, recessed relative to the surface of the skin and large in size (up to one and a half centimeters). The appearance of scars is caused by the fact that weakened but living bacteria are introduced under the skin - they cause a natural reaction of the body in the form of inflammation and the formation of a vesicle at the injection site. This immunological response is necessary for the development of immunity.
Modern children are not vaccinated in the shoulder against smallpox. In the USSR, the smallpox vaccine was administered to everyone, since outbreaks of this disease were periodically recorded. Since 1978, this disease has been considered defeated, and therefore mass immunization has been cancelled. However, several scars from repeated vaccinations can be seen on the hands of older people. Thanks to widespread immunization, a disease that killed millions of people has completely disappeared. Only a milder version of the disease remains - chickenpox, but vaccination against it is not mandatory.
One of the first vaccinations for a baby in the maternity hospital is called BCG. The tuberculosis vaccine is administered immediately after birth - on the 3rd...7th day. Artificially grown, weakened strains of tuberculosis bacilli form immunity against this dangerous disease in a newborn. Antigens in an attenuated form cannot cause disease, but they stimulate the production of anti-tuberculosis antibodies, which protect a person from a dangerous disease for 5-7 years.
Revaccination is usually carried out at 7 and 14 years of age, after which immunity remains for many years. The scar from repeated vaccination is invisible, since the body already has antibodies to tuberculosis bacteria, and the process at the injection site is not so intense. Therefore, people born after 1978 usually have only one scar - from the BCG vaccination at birth in the shoulder.
Although there are exceptions. Sometimes a vaccination performed as part of a revaccination also causes an intense inflammatory process. After such a pronounced reaction, the formation of a post-vaccination scar is likely. Therefore, some people over forty can have as many as three scars on their shoulders.
Additional Information
The injection can be performed intramuscularly, subcutaneously or intravenously. It all depends on the type of drug administered. The correct injection technique is very important, since each procedure can be associated with various complications.
Those who are wondering how to give an injection in the shoulder should keep in mind that the drug is injected into the lateral part of the deltoid muscle. However, this location is associated with a much higher risk of complications associated with vessel or nerve damage. Therefore, people rarely resort to such injections. Another possible injection site is the thigh. With this option, it is important that the lower limb is firmly secured. Place one hand on the area of the large femur, and the other on the knee and point the fingers towards you. The injection point is half the distance between the fingers on the lateral thigh.
Vaccination orally
Vaccines against enteroviral diseases are administered in this way. Parents who vaccinate their children according to the National Calendar are probably familiar with polio drops.
Oral vaccination involves dropping the required number of drops into the mouth or onto a small piece of biscuit. This trick allows you to neutralize the unpleasant taste of the medicine.
It is important to understand that administering the vaccine orally is convenient. However, it is impossible to accurately calculate the required dose of the drug, which does not allow obtaining a guaranteed effect from vaccination.
Inject yourself
First of all, it is necessary to clean the injection site and inject perpendicular to the surface of the skin. If a catheter is used, it should be made so deep that the tip of the needle touches the muscle. Before injecting into the shoulder, you need to make sure that the needle does not touch the vessel, so as not to accidentally inject the drug into it. If by chance it enters a blood vessel and blood appears in the syringe, it is necessary to remove the needle, replace the needle and syringe, and take a new portion of the drug. If inserted correctly, you need to fix the needle with one hand and slowly inject the medicine. The needle should be removed after complete injection of the drug in the same way, perpendicular to the skin. The insertion site must be covered with gauze or cotton wool. It is worth keeping it in this place for some time.
What happens if the vaccine is given incorrectly?
If vaccination by any method is carried out in a deviation from the rules, complications are possible which, unlike a post-vaccination reaction, do not go away on their own, requiring medical intervention.
Complications include:
- severe redness, suppuration of the insertion site;
- cold abscess;
- significant increase in temperature;
- symptoms of an infectious disease;
- severe allergies.
Incorrect vaccination may be due to:
- ignoring contraindications;
- violation of vaccination technique;
- poor quality of the drug;
- improper storage or transportation;
- hypersensitivity to vaccine substances.
By stages
So, an injection into the shoulder is performed in the following steps.
- Wash your hands and the area where the drug will be administered.
- Prepare ampoules with the drug (a syringe in combination with an installed needle), remove the packaging from the plastic part; tampon, alcohol.
- Take a sitting or reclining position.
- Moisten the swab with alcohol.
- Wipe the selected area of skin with a gauze swab moistened with alcohol.
- Wait until the disinfectant dries (a few seconds), then remove the cap from the needle with a confident movement.
- Simply grab the fold of shoulder skin in the selected location with one hand (index finger and thumb).
- While the fold of skin is held with one hand, the syringe is taken in the other.
- It is installed at a right angle (90 degrees) into the skin fold.
- With a decisive movement, the entire needle is inserted into the skin (it is very short, so there is no danger of damaging the internal organs).
- Inject the entire contents of the syringe, constantly holding the fold of skin with one hand. Wait a few seconds, holding the syringe and the skin fold.
- Carefully remove the needle and release the skin fold.
- Apply a tampon and hold it for a while.
- Throw away the syringe by placing it in the trash, needle side down, in the needle packaging.
- Adjust your clothes and rest for a while in a sitting position.
Notes
After you have managed to give yourself an intramuscular injection, it is not recommended to massage the injection site, as this will lead to bruising. After each injection, a small bruise may appear, but you should not provoke its appearance again.
The advice above is only a recommendation and can never replace a visit to a specialist. It is important to remember that in case of health problems, you should definitely consult a doctor! Self-medication only results in great harm to the human body.
Sometimes the injections themselves are painful, and this is also a normal situation. With experience, a person adapts to doing them in the most optimal way, and also gets used to the unpleasant sensations that arise when drugs are injected into the shoulder.
Contraindications
Conditions associated with blood clotting disorders are a contraindication for intravenous injections. We are talking about some muscle diseases. Absolute contraindications are, first of all, lack of patient consent, swelling and inflammatory changes at the site of the planned injection, as well as concussion and circulatory disorders (the exception is the administration of adrenaline in case of anaphylactic shock).
Complications
If a person does not take antiseptic measures before giving an injection in the shoulder, dangerous consequences may await him. Failure to comply with the relevant rules may result in abscesses and infectious complications. Pain often appears at the injection site; it happens that after an injection a small hematoma appears in this area, nerve damage occurs, which leads to temporary reversible sensitivity disorders. A complication after incorrect insertion may be avascular necrosis of the bone. It is extremely rare that situations arise when the needle breaks during an injection. You should also remember about complications that arise not so much from the injection procedure itself, but from specific adverse reactions to the drug, for example, allergic reactions to its components.
How to vaccinate children correctly?
When vaccinating, it is very important to follow the vaccination schedule. In order for the vaccination to take place with minimal consequences for the body, the child must be prepared for this procedure at home. Moreover, the baby must be completely healthy before immunization. Allergy sufferers should be in remission.
Before vaccination you must:
- assess the child's condition;
- minimize communication before/after vaccination;
- reduce the amount of food and its calorie content to reduce the load on the body.
After vaccination, you should not leave the venue immediately so that you can seek help from medical staff if necessary.
