Is a five-eighth inch needle long enough for a swine flu vaccination?

Answer 1

Usually not, but each clinician who is licensed to give injections is trained to determine what equipment is needed for each patient, and how and where the injection will be given based upon the specific prescription orders. Each patient has a different amount and location of fatty tissue. The less fat, usually the shorter the needle needs to be to reach the muscle tissue beneath it. The clinician may slightly alter the angle of injection to adjust for individuals with very little fat, or determine that a shorter needle is required. Usually IM injections are given with a one inch or one and a half inch needle for average sized adults, but this may vary depending on the individual and the prescription.

For the 2011-2012 flu season, there is a newly approved intradermal injection that uses a much shorter and ultra-fine needle. It is approved for use in patients age 18 - 64.

For the average adult:

Intramuscular Injections:

Any one cc syringe for IM (intramuscular) injections is good to use. For IM, you need a needle that is one to one and a half inches long and, typically, a 25 gauge needle is used.

Intradermal Injections:

Fluzone Intradermal vaccine comes in a new prefilled single dose microinjection system designed to consistently deposit vaccine antigens into the dermal layer of the skin of adults.

Typically, adult influenza parenteral vaccines are administered into the muscle utilizing a needle 1 inch to 1.5 inches (25 mm to 38 mm) in length. Fluzone Intradermal vaccine features an ultra-fine needle that is 0.06 inches (1.5 mm) in length. The needle is 90% shorter than a needle for IM injection and much more fine.