More People Are Being Accidentally Poked by Autoinjectors, New Study Finds
Autoinjectors, those do-it-yourself shots which allow patients to quickly stop severe allergic reactions, are more often being used to accidentally prick patients or healthcare professionals.
Canadian researchers found that in the past 20 years, reports of people being accidentally poked with epinephrine self-injectors have steadily increased. Of 69 cases of accidental injections reported in that time, more than two-thirds occurred in the past six years, the researchers said.
Epinephrine injectors, such as the EpiPen, carry a form of adrenaline for treatment of anaphylaxis, a potentially deadly allergic reaction involving sudden difficulty breathing, swelling, hives, and a steep drop in blood pressure. Epinephrine works by quickly relaxing airway muscles to give victims of the allergic reactions time to rush to a hospital for treatment.
Accidental EpiPen Shots on the Rise
A new study conducted by the University of Manitoba found that the EpiPen may accidentally inject a patient in the finger or hand, not the thigh where the dose of epinephrine is supposed to be injected to stop a life-threatening allergic reaction. About 94 percent of accidental injections were in the finger or thumb, the study found.
Also, in some cases, friends or healthcare professionals helping administer a dose to a patient has been poked with the device, the researchers said. The results of the study are published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Side Effects of Accidental Injections
Accidental injections of epinephrine most often cause less-than-serious symptoms, such as a temporary prickly or “pins and needles” sensation in the skin at the site of the injection. There were some reports of more serious side effects, including irregular heartbeat and elevated heart rate.
Such accidents might be prevented by improving the design of autoinjectors and by increasing efforts to educate patients and healthcare professionals about the proper way to use the devices, the researchers said.
Related posts:
- MRSA Cases on the Rise; Two New Strains Detected, Study Finds The number of cases of the drug-resistant bacterial infection MRSA...
- More People Being Hurt in Hot Tub Accidents, Study Shows Slips and falls, burns from water that is too hot,...
- Blood Thinner Warfarin After Trauma Can Be Dangerous, Study Finds Using the common blood thinning drug warfarin to prevent blood...
- Even Brief Exposure to Air Pollution Linked to Appendicitis, Canadian Study Finds Exposure to air pollution, even for relatively short periods of...
- Did Your Doctor Wash His or Her Hands? There’s Only a 50-50 Shot, New Study Finds The next time you go to the hospital or the...
