infants receiving Ztrack injection in butt. Horrible reaction, was this done right?

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I have a question for you nurses specializing in pediatrics:

My son went to the emergency room a few weeks ago for apparently pnuemonia (local, small town hospital). They injected him with something along the lines of rosenephrine? I probably spelled that wrong. They used a Z track injection technnique in his butt in one single does of 600 mg. There is a 1.5"-2" lump on his butt where it was injected and it bruised. He was in bad pain for the first couple weeks and still complains of a "boo boo" and is always saying ouch. My pediatrician claimed this was entirely to strong of a does to give to an infant not only in one does but in the butt( she said it should have been the thigh) My son is 21 months and is 25 lbs. Did the ER nurse do this incorrectly? should my son be in this much pain? I really appreciate the help, I'm only a pre-nurse and don't know much about this. I went back to the original doctor and who treated him in the ER and he had said it was perfectly normal. Somehow i don't believe him.

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Specializes in PICU, NICU, L&D, Public Health, Hospice.

gluteal IM injections are not the site of choice for that age population...Z-track or not...and the medication was likely Rocephin...

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Oh ya that's what that medication was called. I thought it seemed pretty brutal of them, thank you for your feedback. I'm just really worried it had caused permanant damage, it has not gone away at all and my pediatrician said it was probably scar tissue, which i don't know much about either. The ER doctor said this reaction was very common and that it may be permanant.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I think you need to continue to see your pediatrician. Yes, usually Rocephin is given in the thigh and depending on the amt, may need an injection in both thighs.

Here is some more information:

Rocephin: Single-dose IM injection for treating acute bacterial otitis media - Formulary | HighBeam Research - FREE trial

And from WebMD:

Rocephin: Single-dose IM injection for treating acute bacterial otitis media - Formulary | HighBeam Research - FREE trial

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