Selecting The Site For Injection:

Carefully select the site for injection so major blood vessels and nerves are avoided.
Use different sites to prevent repeated injections in the same area. Change sites with each injection.
Do not use areas that are bruised, tender, scarred from surgeries or injury, or swollen.
Your nurse can help you choose the site that is best for you.Buttock (Gluteus Medius) Site For IM Injection

1.Find the trochanter. It is the knobby top portion of the long bone in your upper leg (femur). It is the size of a golf ball.
2.Find the posterior iliac crest. Many people have “dimples “over this bone. The nurse will help you find the bone landmarks.
3.Draw an imaginary line between the two bones.
4.After locating the center of the imaginary line, find a point one inch toward your head. This is where (X) you will put the needle in.
5.Stretch the skin tight.
6.Hold the syringe like a pencil or dart. Insert the needle at a right angle to your skin (90 degrees).
7.You may give up to 3 ml. (cc) of fluid in this site.

Leg (Vastus Lateralis) Site For IM Injection
1.To find the thigh injection site, you will be making an imaginary box on your upper leg. Find the groin. One hand’s width below the groin becomes the upper border of the box.
2.Find the top of knee. One hand’s width above the top of the knee becomes the lower border of the box.
3.The center of the top to your leg becomes the left border of the box.
4.The center of the side of your leg becomes the right border of the box. The nurse will help you find the landmarks.
5.The best areas to use for injection is in the middle of this imaginary box. The sites are marked with X’s.
6.Stretch the skin to make it tight.
7.Insert the needle at a right angle to the skin (90 degrees) straight in.
8.You may give up to 2 ml. (cc) of fluid into the site.

Arm (Deltoid) Site For IM Injection
1.To find this site you will form an imaginary box on the upper arm.
2.Find the knobby top of the arm (acromion process).
3.The top border of the box is two finger widths down from the acromion process.
4.The bottom border is an imaginary line running from the crease of the armpit, from front to back.
5.To make the two side borders, divide the arm into three equal sections, from front to back. The site is in the center of the middle third.
6.Stretch the skin and then bunch up the muscle.
7.Insert the needle at a right angle to your skin (90 degrees). The nurse will show you how.
8.Caution: This is a small site. Give only 1 ml. (cc) or less of fluid in this site. Use only if other sites are not available.

Giving The IM Injection

1.Choose the site you will use for the injection.
2.Clean your skin with an alcohol pad in a circular motion. Let the alcohol dry.
3.Pull the needle cap straight off the needle (do not twist). Set the cap aside.
4.Hold the syringe like a dart or pencil. Stretch the skin at the injection site. If you are thin, you may need to pinch the tissue using your thumb and index finger. Be careful not to touch the injection site itself.
5.Insert the needle at a 90 degree angle into the prepared injection site. Use a quick dart-like motion. The quicker you insert the needle, the less discomfort.
6.Release the skin. Hold onto the syringe so that it will not move. Pull back on the plunger to check for blood in the syringe. Remove the needle if you see blood in the syringe. You will need to discard this syringe and start over again if blood is in the syringe.
7.Inject the medicine by pushing down on the plunger at a moderate rate. Be sure to inject all the medicine in the syringe.
8.Hold the alcohol wipe near the injection site. Remove the needle and quickly press the alcohol pad onto the site. Hold the pad tightly for a minute or rub the skin in a gentle circular motion. Check the area for any redness, bleeding or bruising. If bleeding occurs, wipe it off. It may be necessary to apply a bandage to the site.