Your Location: Additional Resources » On-site Resources » Subcutaneous Injection Guide » Giving the Injection

Giving the Injection

Last Modified - October 30, 2003, 7:53 pm

  1. Take the cover off the needle. Be careful not to contaminate the needle. Place the cover on its side.
  2. Hold the syringe in one hand like a pencil or a dart.
  3. Grasp the skin between the thumb and index finger.
  4. Quickly thrust the needle all the way into the skin. Do not "push" the needle into the skin slowly or thrust the needle into the skin with great force. Do not press down on the top of the plunger while piercing the skin.
  5. Insert the needle at a 90-degree (right) angle. This angle is important to ensure that the medications will be injected into the fatty tissue. However, for small children, and persons with little subcutaneous fat on thin skin, you may be taught to use a 45-degree angle.
  6. After the needle is completely inserted into the skin, release the skin that you are grasping.
  7. With your free hand, grasp the syringe near its base to stabilize it.
  8. Gently pull back on the plunger and check for the appearance of blood in the syringe. Note: Not all injections require you to check for blood. Before you are dis- charged, your nurse will let you know if you need to do this. If you do not, then skip down to step 10.
  9. If blood appears, remove the needle, discard it, and start over. Blood in the syringe means that you may be in a blood vessel, so discard the syringe with medication. Do not inject medication into a blood vessel: the medication is absorbed too rapidly if it is injected there.
  10. If no blood appears, inject the medication at a slow, steady rate. Medication should be injected within 5 seconds.
  11. As the needle is pulled out of the skin, gently press a 2x2 gauze onto the needle insertion site. Pressure over the site while removing the needle prevents skin from pulling back, which may be uncomfortable. The gauze also helps seal the punctured tissue and prevents leakage.
  12. If instructed to do so, press or rub the site for a few seconds.
  13. It is not serious if you notice blood at the site after the needle is removed. You may have nicked a surface blood vessel when you injected, and blood is following the needle track out to the surface. Simply press the site with a 2 x 2 gauze pad. Also, a small amount of clear fluid may appear at the site. This may be medication that is following the needle track to the surface. Again, apply pressure using a 2 x 2 gauze pad.
Articles: [ Prev 4 5 6 7 ]
Subcutaneous Injection Site

Want more information about HGH?

Fill out the form below to register for a free consult with an HGH specialist.


Male Female

Additional Related Resources

No suggestions are available at this time.