Question about Sub-Q injections

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I should probably know this already, but my question is this:

In my lecture notes on giving sub-q injections, part of the instructions include "do not aspirate". I'm wondering: does that mean not to aspirate before drawing up the medication, or not to aspirate once you've already injected the needle into the skin (ie, as you would do with an IM injection)? Or both? I can't find this clarified anywhere in any of my books. (I've been trying to find the answer ever since last semester.) And I'm kind of afraid to ask any of my teachers...don't want my head to get bitten off...

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Specializes in DOU.

"Aspirate" means to pull back on the plunger a bit to see if blood is returned. This cannot be done without the needle in the body.

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"Aspirate" means to pull back on the plunger a bit to see if blood is returned. This cannot be done without the needle in the body.

Yes, but what about when you're pulling back air before drawing up medication? Are you supposed to avoid doing that with an SC injection?

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when you draw air into a syringe and push into the medication bottle you are drawing from, it allows the med to come out.

when you are giving a subq injection, those are not generally aspirated, insulin, lovenox etc, you never aspirate those.. as you learn your medications you will learn which ones require aspiration.

i hope this helps...

smiles,

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when you draw air into a syringe and push into the medication bottle you are drawing from, it allows the med to come out.

when you are giving a subq injection, those are not generally aspirated, insulin, lovenox etc, you never aspirate those.. as you learn your medications you will learn which ones require aspiration.

i hope this helps...

smiles,

sorry - i'm still not following: which of the 2 forms of "aspiration" are you talking about? drawing out the air before drawing up the med, or aspirating for blood once you've injected the needle? or both? sorry. just want to be very clear.

oh, and about insulin - it actually says in my prof's lecture outline that you are supposed to aspirate insulin. not saying that you're wrong, but that's just what my prof's notes say!

but i just want to know which kind of "aspiration" we're talking about...

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you don't aspirate for blood after you have inserted the needle into the sub-cut tissue, just plunge if lwmh(fragmin etc) do it slowly

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

I was taught that you do not aspirate insulin or heparin.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
And I'm kind of afraid to ask any of my teachers...don't want my head to get bitten off...

If you're confused, you should probably suck it up and ask the teacher who was lecturing. That said, I think they were probably speaking of once the needle is in the patient. I can't really see why it would make sense in the other context.

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Specializes in FNP, Peds, Epilepsy, Mgt., Occ. Ed.

To most of us, "aspirate" means drawing back on the plunger once the needle is through the skin; that's the only injection-related usage of the word I'm aware of.

It sounds as if you're asking about injecting air into a vial prior to drawing up the medication. You do pull air into the syringe, but I've never heard anyone use the word "aspirate" for that.

If you were told in lecture "do not aspirate before injecting Lovenox" then that means don't pull back on the plunger once the needle is inserted into the subcutaneous tissue. I was also taught not to aspirate insulin nor heparin.

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What she said . . .:yeahthat:

Aspirate doesn't apply to what you do with the vial.

steph

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You don't aspirate giving subQ, meaning don't pull the plunger out and look for blood once you inserted to needle into the skin.

You aspirate giving IM cause you wanna make sure that your needle goes into the muscle tissue instead of the vessels.

Hope that helps.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, IM, OB/GYN, neuro, GI.
I should probably know this already, but my question is this:

In my lecture notes on giving sub-q injections, part of the instructions include "do not aspirate". I'm wondering: does that mean not to aspirate before drawing up the medication, or not to aspirate once you've already injected the needle into the skin (ie, as you would do with an IM injection)? Or both? I can't find this clarified anywhere in any of my books. (I've been trying to find the answer ever since last semester.) And I'm kind of afraid to ask any of my teachers...don't want my head to get bitten off...

Your going to pull air into the syringe before putting the needle into the vial. Put the needle in the vial and push the air in then pull out the amount of med you need. For a sub-q injection you just give the injection, you don't pull back on the plunger (aspirate) to check for blood return.

If it was an IM, after the needle was put into the skin you would aspirate to check for blood return.

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