What do I do if I hit my vein?

If needle insertion results in swelling and bruising, you’ve got a blown vein. It may sting and can be uncomfortable, but it’s harmless. The healthcare provider typically applies a little pressure to the injection site to minimize blood loss and swelling. After a few minutes, they clean the area to prevent infection.

How do you tell if it’s a vein or artery?

Your arteries are thicker and stretchier to be able to handle the higher pressure of blood moving through them. Your veins are thinner and less stretchy. This structure helps veins move higher amounts of blood over a longer time than arteries.

How can you tell the difference between an artery and a vein?

Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to the body. Veins are blood vessels that carry blood that is low in oxygen from the body back to the heart for reoxygenation.

What is an arterial injection?

Arterial injection occurs when the individual hits an artery, not a vein. Hitting an artery can be painful and dangerous. Arterial blood travels away from the heart so whatever is injected goes straight to body limbs and extremities. Injection particles get stuck in blood capillaries and cut off circulation.

What happens if you hit an artery with a shot?

Hitting an artery can be painful and dangerous. Arterial blood travels away from the heart so whatever is injected goes straight to body limbs and extremities. Injection particles get stuck in blood capillaries and cut off circulation.

What should I do if a needle touches the artery wall?

Advise the young person to find another injection site. There may be warning signs before the needle actually touches the artery, for example, increased nerve sensations such as electrical shocks as the needle gets close to the artery, and cramps as the needle touched the artery wall.

What to do when a young person hits an artery?

The young person is less likely to hit an artery if they avoid risky anatomical points where arteries are more accessible – especially points such as over joints (elbow, behind knee, armpit, neck, groin). Encourage the young person to feel for a pulse. The presence of a pulse means that area has a large artery and should be avoided.