Inject Into a Vein

Injecting medication into a vein can be difficult and should not be attempted without professional guidance. When injecting into a vein, you may need to increase access to the vein by making it more visible. Use sterile equipment and inject the medication with the flow of blood.

Steps

Part One: Increase Access to the Vein

1. Hydrate the patient. The individual receiving the injection should drink one to four 8-oz (250-ml) glasses of water approximately one hour before receiving the injection.
   • When the body is properly hydrated, blood pumps through the veins more readily, making those veins larger and easier to see.
   • On the other hand, it will be notably difficult to locate a vein on an individual who is moderately to severely dehydrated.
2. Palpate the vein. Gently press on the skin above the vein to help draw it closer to the surface.
   • Find the vein, then place one finger over it. Use this finger to gently press up and down in a gentle bouncing motion for 20 to 30 seconds. This should cause the vein to expand and become slightly easier to see.
   • Contrary to popular belief, slapping a vein does not draw it to the surface. The nerves attached to the vein will contract upon feeling pain, which will actually make that blood vessel smaller and harder to see.
3. Apply heat to the area. Warmth causes the vein to dilate and grow, making it easier to find. For best results, warm up the injection site and the patient's entire body before an injection.
   • Never give an injection immediately after the patient comes inside after being out on a cold day. Give the patient time to warm up. Consider covering the patient with blankets or extra layers of clothing.
   • Other options for warming up the entire body include drinking a warm beverage, like tea or coffee, or taking a warm bath. Only deliver the injection after the patient comes out of the bath, however, and not while he or she is still in the water.
   • If you need to warm the injection site, microwave a damp towel for 15 to 30 seconds and wrap the warm towel around the vein. You could also soak the injection site directly in warm water or warm it for several seconds with a hair dryer.
4. Use gravity. Instruct the patient to lie down on a bed or sofa with his or her injecting arm hanging down over the side. Gravity should cause blood to rush to that arm, making the veins look bigger and darker.
   • Similarly, the patient can extend his or her injecting arm out and spin it around for 20 to 30 seconds. Centrifugal force will cause the blood to rush into the arm as it spins, and if done only a few minutes before the injection is delivered, the blood should enhance the appearance of the vein long enough to deliver the injection.
5. Squeeze a stress ball. Tell the patient to grab a stress ball and squeeze it as tight as possible immediately before the injection.
   • Another option would be to have the patient rapidly open and close the hand into a fist for 30 seconds.
   • Either of these options will cause the blood to rush to the veins in the arm, making them easier to see.

Part Two: Prepare for the Injection

1. Wash your hands. Before handling the medication or needle, you should wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap. Dry your hands completely using clean paper towels when you finish washing.
   • To further minimize the risk of infection or contamination, you may also wish to wear sterile, disposable medical gloves. Gloves are not always necessary but should be considered when handling medication for patients with immune deficiencies or weaknesses.
2. Prepare the medication. Draw the correct dosage of medication into the syringe via the attached needle.
   • Inspect the bottle of medication to verify that it is safe to use. The medication itself should be free of debris and discoloring, and the bottle should not have any leaks or signs of damage.
   • Only administer the exact dosage prescribed by the doctor. Do not use any more or less. Follow any additional instructions provided by your doctor concerning the proper preparation of your medication.
   • To draw the medication into the syringe:
     • Pull the plunger back to draw air into the syringe. The amount of air in the syringe should match the amount of medication you will need to prepare.
     • Insert the needle into the rubber stopper of the medication bottle. Push the plunger to squeeze the air into the bottle.
     • Invert the bottle, completely covering the tip of the needle. Pull the plunger back and draw the medication into the syringe, stopping once you've measured out the correct dosage.
     • Gently tap the side of the syringe to knock any air bubbles to the surface. Depress the plunger just enough to press the air out of the syringe. Make sure that all air is out of the syringe before delivering the injection.
     • Remove the needle from the bottle and place a sterile cap or bag over it. Do not allow it to come into contact with any non-sterile surface. Set it aside until ready to use.
3. Choose the best possible injection site. Even though there are ways to increase visibility and access to the vein, there are still some locations that are generally preferred over others.
   • The veins at the inner elbow are relatively close to the skin, so they are some of the easiest to see and use.
   • The veins in the back of the hand are also easy to access, but the nerves accompanying these veins are also closer together, making this injection site more painful than the inner elbow.
   • When delivering frequent injections, you may need to alternate arms every other day to prevent the veins from collapsing.
4. Clean the area with rubbing alcohol. Thoroughly clean the chosen injection site with an isopropyl alcohol pad.
   • If you do not have prepared cleansing pads, soak a sterile cotton ball in isopropyl alcohol and use that to clean the area. You must make sure that the skin at the injection site is thoroughly clean before delivering the injection.
5. Wrap a tourniquet around the arm. Wrap a Apply-a-Tourniquet 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) above the injection site. Use a loose overhand knot or simply tuck the tourniquet ends into the band to secure it.
   • The tourniquet must be easy to remove.
   • For injections delivered to the inner elbow, make sure that the tourniquet is tied above the mound of the bicep and not over the bicep itself.
   • If the vein is difficult to see, consider tying the tourniquet over the patient's shoulder to help squeeze blood into the arm.
   • For extremely difficult to find veins, consider using a blood pressure cuff instead of a tourniquet. Pump until the pressure is just above the diastolic pressure point, then release the pressure before delivering the injection.

Part Three: Inject into the Vein

1. Clearly identify the vein. Only begin the injection once you can clearly identify the vein you'll be injecting into.
   • Injecting medication meant for intravenous delivery into another part of the body can be dangerous and may even be fatal.
   • Review the suggestions listed in the "Increase Access to the Vein" section of this article if you need help increasing vein visibility. If those suggestions do not help, seek professional medical advice before continuing.
2. Insert the needle at a 45 degree angle. Remove the prepared needle from its sterile resting place and carefully insert the tip into the vein at the injection site.
   • The needle must be inserted at a 45 degree angle with the vein.
   • You must insert the needle so that the medication will be injected in the same direction blood flows. Since veins carry blood to the heart, the medication should be injected so that it also flows to the heart.
   • If you have any doubt or question about the proper placement of the needle, check with a qualified doctor or nurse before making any injections into a vein.
3. Pull back the plunger. Carefully pull the plunger back by a small amount. You need to check the site for blood.
   • If you do not draw any blood into the syringe, you have missed the vein. Pull the needle out and try again.
   • If the blood comes out with notable pressure and appears bright red and foamy, you have inserted the needle into an artery. Immediately pull the needle out and apply direct pressure to the site to stop the bleeding. Try again once the bleeding has stopped.
   • If you draw dark red blood, you should have successfully hit a vein and can proceed with the rest of the process.
4. Remove the tourniquet. Take the tourniquet off before you actually deliver the injection.
   • If the patient has also been squeezing his or her hand into a fist, you should also instruct the patient to stop at this point.
   • Pressure is helpful when locating the vein, but when you inject medication into it, too much pressure could cause the vein to burst.
5. Slowly push the plunger. Push the plunger down to inject the medication into the vein.
   • Push with steady pressure until all of the medication has been delivered.
6. Remove the needle. After delivering the medication, remove the needle and immediately apply pressure to the injection site.
   • It is common for intravenous injections to cause a little bleeding. A moderate amount of pressure should be enough to stop the bleeding, however.
   • To minimize the risk of infection, place sterile gauze in between your hand and the injection site when applying pressure.
   • If bleeding is excessive and does not stop, call for emergency medical care.
7. Bandage the injection site. Cover the injection site with a fresh piece of sterile gauze, then hold the gauze in place using medical tape or an adhesive bandage.
   • After bandaging the injection site, the process is complete.

Warnings

• The instructions provided in this article should only be used as a guide. They are not verified by a medical professional and should not replace professional medical instruction.
• Injections delivered into the vein are more complicated and potentially dangerous than those delivered elsewhere. It is strongly recommended that you receive professional instruction from a doctor or nurse before delivering intravenous medication yourself. Do not inject any medication unless instructed to do so by a physician.

Things You'll Need

• Warm, damp towel (optional)
• Stress ball (optional)
• Soap
• Water
• Clean paper towels
• Disposable medical gloves
• Prescribed medication
• Sterile syringe with needle
• Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol
• Sterile cotton ball or pad
• Tourniquet
• Sterile gauze
• Medical tape or adhesive bandages

Sources and Citations

See also

• Give an Intradermal Injection
• Give a Glucagon Shot
• Give a Heparin Shot
• Get an Injection Without It Hurting
• Give an Intramuscular Injection
• Overcome the Fear of Injections
• Administer a Flu Shot
• Get a Shot
• Properly Place a TB Skin Test
• Give a Subcutaneous Injection

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