What is the difference between intradermal and subcutaneous

Withdraw the needle at the same angle as insertion, engage safety shield or needle guard, and discard in a sharps container. Proper needle disposal prevents needle-stick injuries. Discard syringe in sharps container Massaging the area may spread the solution to the underlying subcutaneous tissue.

Draw circle around injection site. Discard remaining supplies, remove gloves, and perform hand hygiene. This prevents the spread of microorganisms. Hand hygiene with ABHR.

Document the procedure and findings according to agency policy. Proper documentation helps ensure patient safety. Document time, date, location, and type of medication injected. Evaluate the patient response to injection within appropriate time frame. The patient will need to be evaluated for therapeutic and adverse effects of the medication or solution. Special care must be taken to ensure the correct amount of medication and type of insulin is administered, at the correct time.

It is highly recommended to always get your insulin dosages double-checked by another health care provider. Always follow the standard for medication preparation at your agency.

Insulin is only administered using an insulin syringe. Insulin is the only drug with its own type of syringe with a needle attached. Insulin is always ordered and administered in units, based on a blood sugar reading and a diabetic insulin protocol or sliding scale. Some hospitals have preprinted physician orders, and some hospitals have handwritten orders.

Insulin syringes can come in , , or unit measurements. Always read the increments calibration carefully. There are rapid-, short-, intermediate-, and long-acting insulins. For each type of insulin, it is important to know how the insulin works and the onset, peak, and duration of the insulin. If a patient is ordered two types of insulin, some insulins may be mixed together in one syringe. Do not mix Lantus Glargine or Levemir Determir. If administering cloudy insulin preparations Humulin — N , gently roll the vial between the palms of your hands to re-suspend the medication.

Always draw up the short acting insulin first, to prevent it from being contaminated with the long acting. If too much insulin is drawn up from the second vial, discard syringe and start again. Always check with the PDTM for the most current guidelines regarding insulin administration. Insulin orders may change from day to day. Always ensure the most current physician orders are being followed. Injection site rotation is no longer necessary as newer insulins have a lower risk for hypertrophy of the skin.

Typically, a patient will pick one anatomic area e. Insulin absorption rates vary from site to site. The abdomen absorbs the fastest, followed by the arms, thighs, and buttocks. The timing of insulin injections is critical to correct insulin administration based on blood sugar levels and when the patient will eat.

Knowing the peak action and duration of insulin is critical to proper insulin medication management. If giving insulin, always ensure the patient is not nauseated, is able to eat, and that food is arriving before the insulin starts working.

Typically, short- or rapid-acting insulin is given 15 minutes before meals. Intermediate- or long-acting insulin may be given twice daily, at breakfast and dinner. Insulin injections are based on blood sugar values and on when the patient will eat.

The timing of an insulin injection is critical to ensure the patient receives insulin correctly. Injection pens are a new technology used by patients to self-inject insulin using a syringe, needle, and prefilled cartridge of insulin. It is essential that patients be taught how to use injection pens so they understand the technology. Heparin is available in vials and prefilled syringes in a variety of concentrations.

Because of the dangerous adverse effects of the medication, it is considered a high-risk medication. Always follow agency policy regarding the preparation and administration of heparin. It is important to rotate heparin sites to avoid bruising in one location. To minimize bruising and pain associated with heparin injections, they can be given in the abdominal area, at least 5 cm away from the belly button. There are many risks associated with the administration of heparin, including bleeding, hematuria, hematemesis, bleeding gums, and melena.

Many agencies use prepackaged heparin syringes. Always follow the standards for safe medication administration when using prefilled syringes. Low molecular weight heparin LMWH is more effective in some patients. Assess patient conditions prior to administration. Some conditions increase the risk for hemorrhage bleeding , such as recent childbirth, severe diabetes, severe kidney and liver disease, severe traumas, cerebral or aortic aneurysm, cerebral vascular accidents CVA , blood dyscrasias, and severe hypotension.

Over-the-counter OTC herbal medications, such as garlic, ginger, and horse chestnut, may interact with heparin. Log in. Registration Code Please enter your registration code.

Address Line 1. Address Line 2. Disadvantages related to intramuscular injection involve the requirement of skill and technique, pain from injection, anxiety or fear, and difficulty in self-administration. However, compared to intravenous injection, intramuscular injection is less invasive, can be done within less time, and has a large injection site a muscle.

Most inactivated vaccines are given as IM vaccines. Intravenous injection is a type of injection that delivers a drug into a vein. It is the fastest way of giving medication. The needle is inserted into a vein, and then the drug is directly delivered into the bloodstream. Since the drug enters the blood immediately, the effect of the drug is quick in comparison to other injections. Intravenous injections can be used for the administration of nutrition in parenteral nutrition. They may also be used for recreational drugs.

The common side effects of intravenous injections are infections and inflammation. An IV catheter, a peripheral intravenous catheter or a central venous catheter can be used in repeated intravenous injections.

The subcutaneous tissue layer is the injection site of subcutaneous injection, while a muscle is the injection site of intramuscular injection. The site of intravenous injection, on the other hand, is a vein. So, this is the key difference between subcutaneous intramuscular and intravenous injection. Only the Mantoux technique and intradermal microinjection devices, such as VAX-ID , are already available for intradermal injections. Tattoo devices for intradermal injection Other than intradermal microinjection devices such as VAX-ID , which are already available for intradermal injection, research is currently being conducted about tattoo devices for intradermal injection.

Tattoo devices can be used for vaccination: with this technique a short injection needle or multiple needles penetrates the skin through vibrations at a high frequency. The main advantage of this intradermal injection method is the large surface area the vaccine is injected in, which causes it to affect a broader cell population. This technique, however, is currently only available for research. Intradermal liquid jet injectors Other than intradermal microinjection devices such as VAX-ID , which are already available for intradermal injection, new intradermal injection devices are in development, including intradermal liquid jet injectors.

Instead, these intradermal injection tools use a high pressured, fast stream of injection liquid or vaccine to penetrate the skin 6. Intradermal jet injectors have been used in mass vaccination projects, or as an alternative for insulin injection for diabetic patients.

Most of these intradermal needle arrays are currently only available for research. Ballistic intradermal injectors Other than intradermal jet injectors, ballistic injectors do not send out a liquid stream to penetrate the skin, but solid particles. Multiple versions of this intradermal injection method exist, but most of them are only available for research.

Vaccination through intradermal injection holds many advantages compared to other types of vaccination, such as an improved immune response to vaccine, a potential reduction of the antigen dose 9 , and decreased anxiety and pain ;5;6. To find out more about the advantages of intradermal injection for vaccination, click here. Intradermal injection.