We all have at least once experienced getting jabbed by an injection. Was it a bitter experience or you were brave enough not to cry? Well, that’s different in every other person’s case. So, the real question is, have you ever wondered how many types of injection routes exist? If yes, then here is your perfect answer.
Types of injection routes
There are 4 types of injection routes, intravenous
(into the veins), subcutaneous (into the fat layer), intramuscular (into the
muscles) and intradermal (into the dermis) injections.
Intravenous injection
Intravenous (IV) injection refers to the introduction
of a small quantity of medication into the veins of an organism by venous
puncture with the use of a needle. By this route, the drug is directly
introduced into the bloodstream.
The term intravenous signifies 'into the veins'
therefore it is used when immediate action is required in an emergency.
Specially when the action is needed on blood vessels or the bloodstreams.
When it comes to the selection of syringes, the size
of the needle used in the process depends upon the amount of fluid to be
injected. Generally, the size of the needle lies between 1 to 2 inches.
Common sites for injecting this injection are dorsal
areas of the hand, ventral areas of the elbow or forearm median cubical,
basilica or cephalic veins. In the case of infants, the scalp vein is used.
If we count on the medical complications, concerning
different individuals, then they may include allergic reactions, pain,
injection abscess, injury to nerves and air embolism.
Subcutaneous Injections
Subcutaneous means under the skin. In this type of injection, the
medication is injected into the fat layer that is between the skin and the
muscle. Drug administered in this way is usually absorbed slowly as compared to
intravenous injections.
It is used when other methods of administration turn out
to be less effective. For instance, some of the medications can’t be taken orally
because enzymes in the stomach can destroy them. This method can be difficult
and costly as compared to other ones.
The most common sites for injecting this is the abdomen,
thigh and arm. The location of injection is important. The drug needs to be
injected into the fatty tissue layer. Insulin and some other hormones are
commonly administered by this injection.
The complications of these injections erupt when you
inject the injection in the same spot many times. Generally, the infection in
that area is observed and is marked by severe pain, redness, swelling and
warmth of drainage.
About the size of the needle, a short needle is used to inject
the drug into the tissue layer, one-half to
five-eighths of an inch long with a gauge of 25 to 30.
Intramuscular Injection
Intramuscular injection, often abbreviated as IM
includes injecting the medication directly into the muscle of an organism. This
allows the medication to get quickly absorbed by the body for quick effects.
This method is generally used when the other delivery
methods are not recommendable, such as oral, intravenous, subcutaneous etc.
They are generally injected at the deltoid muscle of the arm, vastus lateralis
muscle of the thigh, the ventrogluteal muscle of the hip and the dorsogluteal
muscles of the buttocks.
The COVID-19
vaccine is also injected into the deltoid muscle of our body. This site is mostly used for vaccines.
Intramuscular injections are absorbed at a faster rate when compared to
subcutaneous injections because muscle
tissue can hold more volume of medication than subcutaneous tissue
When it comes to complications, it is normal to experience
some discomfort after taking a jab but certain symptoms may be a sign of a more
serious complication. Some common symptoms are pain, numbness, swelling,
redness and drainage at the injection site.
The common size of the needle of these syringes is 1-1.5 inches.
Intradermal Injection
Intradermal injections (ID) is a shallow or superficial injection of a
medication into the dermis (located in between the epidermis and hypodermis).
This route is rarely used as compared to the other routes due to its complexity
and also has the longest absorption time.
This route is used in the case when some special and certain therapy is
to be performed on a person. This type of injection is used for sensitivity
tests for example the TB allergy and anesthesia tests. These are used to easily
visualize the body's reaction.
Common sites for injecting this injection are the inner
surface of the forearm and the upper back (under the scapula) and the normal size of the needle used is 26- or 27-gauge, ½
to 3/8 inches.
The major complication
of this injection is an active infection near the site of the administration of
the needle which in general words can be denoted as allergy or
hypersensitivity. It also includes redness, itching and pain at the site of
injection.
Written by - Sanskriti Dimri
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