What is the appropriate needle length for an intramuscular injection?

Most adolescents and adults will require a 1- to 1.5-inch (25–38 mm) needle to ensure intramuscular administration.

What is the most you can inject intramuscular?

Overall, 5 mL has been cited for adults as the maximum volume for a single IM injection, with lower maximums proposed for adult patients with less-developed or small muscle mass.

What happens if you give an IM injection too low?

Injections that occur below the deltoid muscle can hit the radial nerve and injections that are too far to the side of the deltoid muscle can hit the axillary nerve. If a nerve is hit, the patient will feel an immediate burning pain, which can result in paralysis or neuropathy that does not always resolve.

How big is the needle for an intramuscular injection?

Thus needles used for the injections are generally 1 inch to 1.5 inches long and are generally 19 to 22 gauge in size. The principal sites of injection are the gluteal (buttocks), deltoid (upper arm), and vastus lateralis (thigh) muscles. When administering intramuscular injections into the gluteus maximus,…

How big is an intramuscular injection in the deltoid muscle?

Needle size/length: Intramuscular injections in the deltoid muscle will require a needle length of at least 1-1 ½ inches for adults. Most commonly a 1 inch needle length will be used in adults for an IM injection in the deltoid. However, this is where you will need to think critically.

What’s the correct needle length for a toddler?

Infants (1–12 months): Anterolateral thigh muscle, 1″ needle, 22–25 gauge. Toddlers (1–2 years) have two options for injection site and needle length: Anterolateral thigh muscle, 1–1¼” needle, 22–25 gauge.

How big is the needle for acromial injection?

Insert the needle 1” to 2” below the acromial process, usually two or three fingerbreadths. Typical injection: 0.5 ml (range: 0.5 to 2.0 ml) Use the lateral muscle of the quadriceps group, from a handbreadth below the greater trochanter to a hand breadth above the knee.