Nursing question

[ppatt54]

Need to know what complications can occur when using too large of an IM needle on an elderly patient

 

[T. Calderone]

With too large a needle, you might go through the vein. But you said IM, meaning intramuscular?

(Homeless ------- > BDD)

 

[Slow_Mobius]

Wound healing complications?

 

[herbavore]

Are you a medical person?

 

[d1nach]

Im confused the way this reads you sound like a nurse or a doctor. My dad gets im shots and it comes premade you just push a button. Same with my sisters im emergency seizure med.I am assuming this is a prescription in which you should atleast be able to ask a pharmacist. If your injecting non prescription opioids for their pain or they are an addict who can no longer get the stuff due to age id highly recommend you go through medicine elderly arent as strong and you need to be careful with breathing, liver, and med interactions.

 

[steewith2ees]

Are you a medical person?

This sounds bad if the OP is.... just to say, if this is in the past tense case then one should be discussing it immediately with colleagues / MD's / other HC support (if not performing this via professional role)- not leaving an open question on a forum with no further information than what we have to go on...

 

[AuraLee]

If you're talking about the length and gauge of the needle, that is chosen by:
Length - site of injection so it is long enough to reach the muscle but not so long it hits the bone. Elderly people tend to have less fat and smaller muscles or, if not, the tissue under the skin is less dense.

Needle gauge depends on the thickness of the substance and obviously you don't want to make a big hole.

If you're talking about liquid, there's only so much a muscle is meant to take. I can't recall the exact amounts but in the deltoid (upper arm), it is maximum 2 or 3 mls.

So most complications would be mechanical injuries, imo. Or if you put too much liquid IM, and the solution wasn't sterile (or even if it was) it could cause inflammation or infection.

 

[Keif' Richards]

As long as we're talking about an actual needle with the dedicated purpose of being used for injections, I really doubt that there would be any complication. Veins are fragile and easily destroyed, while by comparison, the muscles are pretty robust. It's not likely that you're going to cause serious damage with just a single injection. With an elderly patient, there's going to be less bounce-back in terms of the tissue repairing the hole left by the needle, but I doubt it could cause a complication.

Are there symptoms? Pain, redness, swelling, other complaints?

 

[Coraline]

The injection of any medication by a professional has a Drs. order with the Route, Medication, Dosage, Time, Frequency and patient. Your documentation is very important to protect you from a law suite. Intramuscular medications in the arm has a different amount given vs the leg or buttocks. If its 3 ml it's the leg or buttocks and some medications like promethazine IM isn't recommended any more because necrotic tissue may form. So as someone stated your question is too vague. The needle usually used is 18 gauge. The depth depends on muscle mass, you don't want to hit a bone.Think of the pt. ALWAYS CHECK TO SEE IF YOU ARE ACCIDENTALLY IN A VEIN BY PULLING THE PLUNGER BACK> IF YOU SEE BLOOD POOLING IN THE SYRING YOU ARE IN A VEIN. STOP! If you are a nurse don't be afraid to ask your coworkers questions.Sometimes They may talk crap behind your back but you will save your hard earned license and the most important the pts life! People will respect you as well those are the one that matter. Every nurse is constantly learning. If you don't ask you won't learn. Get some nursing apps for your phone and YouTube has some awesome tutorials. NEVER GO IN BLIND and LOOK INCOMPETENT!!!