IM site bleeding

[marie-francoise]

Is some bleeding from an IM flu shot injection site normal, upon needle withdrawal? (when there was no blood upon aspiration) Could it be caused by injection angle, or by not withdrawing the needle straightly enough? Most flu shots I've given were bloodless; but on one I saw some blood.

[Starr1966]

I thought that one always had to aspirate with I'm injections. I do aspirate with them. I don't aspirate on sq injections anymore, I had worked at a ltcf and they had us aspirate on sq injections.

At one point in my life I had to have im injections twice a week and more often then not I would bleed when they withdrew the needle, the nurse didn't seem to concerned about and neither was i. I agree with the other posters comments on why it may happen.

[Almabella]

CyndieRN2007 said:

I have never aspirated blood, but I always aspirate.

Sue, what was the rationale behind not aspirating? Im genuinely curious.

I read somewhere that, at least for peds pts, NOT aspirating makes the injection less painful. I wish I could tell you the source but I completely forget.

I aspirated blood with one of the very first injections I gave as a nurse -- a flu shot. So, from that experience, I always aspirate just to err on the side of caution.

Oh, and I think bleeding at the site after withdrawing the needle is most likely just capillary bleeding.