How to Use the Ventrogluteal Site for Intramuscular Injections

The ventrogluteal site is one of the preferred sites for giving intramuscular injections to adults and children over seven months of age. The risk of accidentally harming the patient is minimal using this site, because the area does not contain large nerves or blood vessels. You can access the site with the patient standing or lying down. Plus, you can find the ventrogluteal site using your non-dominant hand as a guide.

Things You'll Need

• Medication-filled syringe
• Clean, disposable gloves
• Sterile alcohol wipe
• Patient

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Instructions

• 1

  Position yourself on the side of the patient that corresponds to your dominant hand. For instance, if you are right-handed, stand on the right side of the patient. Make sure the patient's hip area is exposed.

• 2

  Put on the disposable gloves, and place your non-dominant hand on the patient's hip. Rest the heel of your hand where his thigh and his hip meet. Extend your thumb away from your fingers at a right angle, so that your thumb is pointing in the same direction as your patient's front.

• 3

  Stretch your forefinger away from your middle finger. The "V" that you have made serves as the boundary for your injection site.

• 4

  Use the sterile alcohol wipe to clean the injection site. Start from the center of the area and move outward in a circular motion.

• 5

  Pick up the syringe with your dominant hand, making sure any safety caps or needle covers have been removed. Hold the syringe between your thumb and forefinger like a dart.

• 6

  Insert the needle into the injection site at a 90-degree angle, all the way to the hub of the syringe. Keeping your hold on the hub with your dominant hand, move your other hand to the plunger end of the syringe. Pull up on the plunger slowly, to make sure there is no blood return into the syringe. If you see blood, you must draw out the needle and choose another site.

• 7

  Push down on the plunger and inject the medication slowly and steadily. After a few seconds, remove the needle quickly, and apply light pressure to the site with the alcohol wipe. Dispose of the used equipment properly.