If you hit a blood vessel during an intramuscular injection, you need to stop the injection immediately and take corrective actions.
Here's a breakdown of what to do:
- Recognize the problem: If you see blood in the syringe when you pull back slightly on the plunger, you've likely hit a blood vessel. This aspiration technique is sometimes taught, but current best practice suggests that aspiration is not necessary for intramuscular injections because major blood vessels are avoided by selecting appropriate injection sites.
- Stop immediately: Do not inject the medication.
- Withdraw the needle: Pull the needle straight out of the skin.
- Properly dispose of the syringe: Discard the needle and syringe in a designated sharps container, which is a special container designed for safe disposal of needles.
- Prepare a new injection: Using a new syringe and a new dose of medication, prepare for another injection.
- Choose a new injection site: Select a different injection site that is a safe distance away from the previous one.
- Re-administer the injection: Administer the injection using the correct technique.
In Summary (from the provided reference):
If blood is seen in the syringe:
- Pull the needle out.
- Safely discard the needle and syringe.
- Prepare a new syringe with medicine.
