Abstract
The purpose of this study was to clarify the reactions occurring at the sites of intramuscular injections and the influence of specific injection methods. The subjects were nurses and patients at a psychiatric hospital. Our investigation was based on the original records, and we divided the injections into long-acting injections and other types, and compared them. For long-acting injections, nurses used larger needles and selected the buttocks as the injection site, employing injection of air without massage. Leakage of drug solution, bleeding, pressure pain, and indurations were observed in 19.2% of the patients, and the frequency of these reactions was unaffected by the type of injections employeds. Leakage of drug solution showed no significant correlation with thickness of the needle, injection site, injection of air, or use of massage. Induration was confirmed in 10.9% of patients, many of whom received injection frequently. It was possible for induration to occur in patients who had shown leakage of drug solution, internal hemorrhage, or numbness at the time of the previous injection. Some patients showed chromatosis and atrophy, pain, bleeding, or leakage of drug solution at the induration site.
