IM injections!

[smiler2010]

Hi guys!

I have began having to give a lot of IM injections, I am now giving Depo and vaccines. The other day when I gave an IM injection in a patient's deltoid I could feel that the needle wasn't advancing as easily and she said "I think you hit a nerve", this has never happened to me before? Can you feel when you hit a nerve? Or could it possibly be a tendon or something. This patient was very thin so I tried not to advance it as far as I would have a heavier patient but I wanted to make sure that I advanced it far enough that it would get into the muscle well. Any advice and/or information would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

[Double-Helix, BSN, RN]

The patient probably meant that it felt like you hit a tendon, which triggered a reflex of the nerves. Nerves are tiny and they are everywhere, so you can't really hit them. It also could have been the bone, if she was very thin.

[solneeshka, BSN, RN]

If you have a thin patient, make sure you use a shorter needle than usual. That will help prevent hitting the bone. If they're real thin (and if circumstances allow), try using one of the leg/hip spots instead of the deltoid.