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An intramuscular injection, also known as an intramuscular injection, involves inserting a needle into a muscle and administering a liquid solution, usually a medicine, in this way. The volume of intramuscular injection should not exceed 5 ml.
Types of injections (injections)
Shot, ie injection, can be performed subcutaneously, intradermally, intravenously or intramuscularly. The manner of execution injection depends on what kind of drug is administered in injection. Intramuscular injections is a frequently chosen method of drug administration as it bypasses hepatic circulation and accelerates drug absorption.
How to properly perform an intramuscular injection?
Generally intramuscular injection it is performed in the buttock, because the gluteus muscle is a very large muscle and has a lot of blood supply. However, you can also administer the drug intramuscularly to the hand or thigh – if the patient has a sufficient amount of muscle tissue in these places (it will not work for slim and slender people).
In order to administer the drug to the patient in intramuscular injection he should lie down on his back or side with his legs slightly bent at the knees. Then you need to decide where it will be performed intramuscular injection. One way is to divide the buttock into squares and do intramuscular injection in the upper outer square. However, patients vary in structure so this is not a recommended method. A better way to designate a suitable place for intramuscular injection is to put the tip of the index finger on the patient’s front upper iliac spine, and then spread the fingers apart, moving the middle finger as far as possible without taking the index finger off. The hand should be placed on the greater distorters of the femur. The injection site is on the 1/3 of the bottom triangle formed by the index and middle fingers.
Intramuscular injection can also be done in the shoulder, in the lateral part of the deltoid muscle. Intramuscular injection in this place, however, it is associated with the risk of puncture of the vessel or nerve and its complications.
Another place to perform intramuscular injectionthere is a thigh. In this case, one hand is placed on the greater trochanter of the femur and the other hand on the knee, with the thumbs pointing towards each other. Place to go intramuscular injection on the thigh is half the distance between the thumbs on the lateral surface of the thigh.
Aby wykonac intramuscular injection, you will need: a syringe, a needle about 70 mm long and 0,8-0,9 mm in diameter, a disinfectant, disposable gloves and a sterile gauze swab. You also need a needle (shorter and thinner) to collect the medicine.
First, you need to clean and disinfect the place where it will be made shot. Injections is performed perpendicular to the skin surface. The tip of the needle should rest against the muscle. In very thin people, the needle may hit a bone; then it should be retracted by about 1 cm. Before injecting the drug, check that a blood vessel has not been punctured – in this case, do not perform it injection. If the needle misses a blood vessel, nothing can be absorbed into the syringe. If it comes across a blood vessel, we will absorb blood into the syringe. In this case, withdraw the needle, replace it, and find another site to do intramuscular injection.
If the puncture is normal, inject the medicine slowly. Put a gauze pad on the injection site and stick it with a plaster.
Contraindications for intramuscular injections
Intramuscular injections should not be performed in patients with coagulation disorders and in patients undergoing dialysis. An important contraindication to this type of injection is haemophilia. In exceptional cases, it can be performed intramuscular injection However, also in these patients, coagulation disorders and dialysis are not absolute contraindications. An absolute contraindication to intramuscular injections there is swelling and inflammation at the site of the planned injection, as well as anaphylactic shock and circulatory centralization. The only exception for an application intramuscular injection in anaphylactic shock it is necessary to inject adrenaline in this way.
Possible complications after an improperly performed intramuscular injection
At run time intramuscular injection hygiene rules must be strictly observed. Failure to do so may result in complications such as abscesses and infections at the site injection. After zintramuscular injection there is often pain at the injection site and a small hematoma. It is usually absorbed spontaneously within a few days. A more serious complication after intramuscular injection there is damage to the sciatic nerve, which can lead to a temporary disturbance of sensation. In case of intramuscular injection With steroids, sterile bone necrosis may appear. In the few cases when intramuscular injection performed incorrectly, by an unqualified person, the needle may break inside the patient’s body. Drugs administered intramuscularly can also cause allergic reactions.