IM in deltoid & Vastus lateralis

nlion87 · Apr 3, 2008

no. it is with subcut you bunch skin. With im you taunt skin. hope this answers your question

nlion87 · Apr 3, 2008

i meant taut not taunt. sorry

imanedrn · Apr 3, 2008

I'm beginning my first job but its been awhile since I had my clinical and need refreshing. When giving an injection in the deltoid and for infants in the vastus lateralis, isn't the skin "bunched" a little with your hand? Or does this depend on the needle length?

With infants, I was taught to bunch the skin also because they have less muscle. Also, you might not insert the needle the entire length -- again, because of the decreased muscle depth.

TXstudentRN · Apr 4, 2008

Most important thing with IM is z-track... I guess that could sort of be considered "bunching" depending on how you're picturing it in that you're pulling the skin to the side, but really it's taut. Best of luck!

imanedrn · Apr 5, 2008

Most important thing with IM is z-track... I guess that could sort of be considered "bunching" depending on how you're picturing it in that you're pulling the skin to the side, but really it's taut. Best of luck!

That's only important in school. You rarely see that emphasized in real life - sadly.

PedsAtHeart, LPN · Oct 2, 2008

With infants, I was taught to bunch the skin also because they have less muscle. Also, you might not insert the needle the entire length -- again, because of the decreased muscle depth.

Why would you bunch the skin because they have less muscle, you are just bunching the fat up around it and making it to where you wont hit the muscle.

Hold the skin taut when doing IM. With infants you need to MAKE SURE you get it IM and just judge according to their size. If you don't get it IM (except for MMR and Varicella of course) you can cause quite a local reaction, and some vaccines, like Hep B, will not take unless they are given deep IM.