Injecting Insulin—Aspirate?
| Author: Judy Kohn, RN, BSN, CDE |
| Last Updated: Friday, March 31, 2006 |
Q: "When giving an insulin injection is it necessary to pull back slightly to check for blood before injecting the insulin?"
A: The term for pulling back slightly on the syringe plunger to check for blood before injection is called aspiration. That technique is used when injecting medication into the muscle (using a longer needle-i.e. 1 to 1 ½ -inches), called an intramuscular injection. The reason for aspirating in that situation is that muscle is more vascular; when medication is injected into muscle, the intention is to have the medication absorb slowly into the muscle and eventually into the blood stream-but not to go directly into the blood stream. So if blood appeared in the syringe before injecting intramuscularly, you would withdraw the needle and reinsert again into a different area.
However, insulin is injected with a much shorter needle (i.e. 5/16 to ½ -inch) into the subcutaneous tissue, which does not contain major blood vessels. To avoid hitting a vein, gently pinch up a two-inch or three-inch area of skin. Hold the syringe like a pencil close to the site, keeping your fingers off the plunger.
- If you are overweight, it is best to use a regular, ½ -inch needle and to insert it straight in, at a 90-degree angle.
- If you are a thin adult or are giving the injection to a small child with little fat, you would use a shorter needle (3/16" or 5/16 ") and would insert it at a 45-degree angle. This will prevent the insulin from being injected into muscle, causing it to be absorbed more quickly.
- Note that if blood appears on the skin after you withdraw the needle, that does not mean you gave an intramuscular injection and/or hit a vein, but rather it is just likely the needle went through a tiny capillary.
- As always, remember to review all this with your diabetes team. Your diabetes educator should supervise and review your injection technique to be sure it is appropriate for your situation.
Related Questions
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Injecting insulin through clothing
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Related Links
Diabetes Self-Management
http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
http://www.fda.gov
sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC: "LANTUS® Insulin Glargine (rDNA origin)
Injection"
http://www.lantus.com
Eli Lilly and Company
http://www.lillydiabetes.com/Education/UsingInsulin.cfm
Important Notice: The responses provided by the team of Diabetes Educators are based on their personal experiences and expertise as practicing diabetes healthcare professionals, and are not to be considered diabetes management advice from Abbott Laboratories. Remember that information provided by the team of Diabetes Educators is for general background purposes and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a trained professional. You should always consult your physician about any healthcare questions you may have, especially before trying a new medication, diet, fitness program, or approach to healthcare issues.
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