4 Types Of Injections Or Injection Angles That You Should Know
Injectables are the parenteral form of drug administration. There are 4 types of injections that are classified according to the route of administration. Injectable medications come in two types of glass containers, ampoules and vials.
The blisters are a closed system, they have long necks and have a constriction at their base. Once the neck is broken, it will be an open system from which the medicine can be aspirated through the opening made.
The vials are a closed system, have a short neck and a metal- lined hard plastic stopper. To extract the content, it is necessary to inject a volume of air equal to the volume of the substance that we want to extract.
The drug may also be presented for direct administration or for mixing with a solvent. Next, we will tell you the four types of injections as well as the specific characteristics of each one.
1. Intravenous injections
The intravenous route is used for the administration of medications in the following cases:
- Emergency situation.
- Serum therapy.
- Diluted drugs.
It is the fastest way since the absorption of the drug is immediate.
2. Intradermal injections
It is one of the types of injections that are used to perform diagnostic tests, skin tests such as allergies and administer local anesthetics.
In intradermal injections , an amount of medicine equal to or less than 0.3 milliliters is introduced. It is usually done using a 1 milliliter syringe or with a short bevel needle, which is usually orange or clear.
It can be applied to areas of the shoulder, in the central area of the inner forearm or the upper middle part of the back.
Procedure for giving intradermal injections
With one hand the skin of the area to be punctured is tightened and with the other the needle is inserted almost parallel to the skin and with the bevel upwards. The medication is inoculated slowly, until a papule is seen to form. To finish, the needle is withdrawn without pressing on the papule.
3. Subcutaneous injections
These types of injections are used to introduce the drug into the subcutaneous tissue. The most commonly used drugs in this way are the following:
- Vaccines.
- Heparins.
- Insulins.
The volume that is administered varies between 1.5 and 2 milliliters with syringes of 1 or 2 milliliters and orange medium bevel needle. It is a slow absorption route and the areas most used for this route are the outer face of the arm, front of the thigh, abdomen and the scapular area of the back.
Process
After disinfecting the application area, a skin fold is taken. The needle should be driven in at a 45 degree angle with the needle bevel facing up. The plunger should be sucked in to verify that a blood vessel has not been punctured.
However, if it is to administer heparin, the angle should be 90 degrees. It is important to remind the patient to whom the medication is administered not to touch or press the puncture site, to avoid bruising.
4. Intramuscular injections
Intramuscular injections are a type of injection used to deliver medication into the muscle. The most commonly used drugs for this route are vaccines and other drugs such as analgesics, anti-inflammatories, corticosteroids and antibiotics.
It is a route of absorption faster than the subcutaneous, its effect appears around 15 minutes. The volume that is injected is less than 15 milliliters and the syringe that is used is 2 or 5 milliliters with a medium bevel needle and green color for adults.
The most common areas for its administration are the upper external quadrant of the gluteus, the deltoid and the vastus lateralis of the leg.
Process
For the administration of these injections, the needle is inserted at a 90 degree angle directly into the muscle. The loaded syringe is then adapted and aspirated to check that a capillary has not been punctured.
The drug is then inoculated slowly, as it is a painful route. This is due to the fact that the muscle fibers are very close together and when the liquid is injected they detach, causing pain. When finished, the syringe and needle are withdrawn at the same time.
It all depends on the drug and the situation
As you could see throughout the article, the routes of parenteral drug administration are multiple and depend on several factors. By now you can be a little more informed about the procedures the next time you need to go to the hospital, don’t worry!
