Dr. Jim,
With respect to needle length, I think that most of us likely use 1" needles for self-administered quad shots. In your opinion, is this problematic?
Thank you,
Berlin[/QUOTE]
Good question and the answer lies in the depth of muscle penetration.
If ALL of the overlying tissue is more than 1/2 inch chances are the depot will leak out and what you'll end up with is a sub-fascial injection and the blood supply is more limited in fibrous tissue.
I'm not suggesting it can't be done this way BUT it's definitely not compliant with existing medical practice.
There are several reasons "for deep IM injection" is scribed onto most Ph grade TT vials.
1) The oil itself can slow the formation of a coagulum or clot
2) More shallow injections enable the depot to egress, following the path of least resistance which obviously is the puncture track itself
3) The oil is much more viscous and generates more depot pressure which again enables the escape of its contents.
4) Finally the preferred adult site for deep IM injections because of it's excellent blood supply is the gluteal region.
5) THE LATTER is VERY important bc essentially all studies on peak and trough IM drug levels is done using the GLUTEAL region. I only mention this bc of the OP's original question about a "protocol".
That's to say if you fellas want to compare data on TT peak levels GLUTEAL injections are the standard.