A 31-year-old physician in a Family Practice training program at an academic primary care center was handling an Epipen because he wanted to be familiar with it before prescribing it. If bleeding occurs from the wound, cover with a gauze or towel and apply firm direct pressure without letting go . You may also consider using EpiPen while you are pregnant or breastfeeding. 2023 BioMed Central Ltd unless otherwise stated. You can also make a salt solution. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Contrary to popular belief, the EpiPen injection can be delivered through clothing. We reviewed the treatment of accidental epinephrine injection, and found that the use of parenteral adrenergic alpha blocker phentolamine would have produced immediate recovery. Dp says this is just to be expected but I'm worried I've damaged the circulation or something. Warnings for Shock Pens Shock pens may be sold as harmless pranks, but they have the potential to cause injury. What if I use an EpiPen and dont need it? How to Market Your Business with Webinars. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. What to do if you accidentally stab yourself in the hand? injected "[this mixture] subcutaneously into the site [of accidental epinephrine injection,] and stop as soon as the skin becomes pink". I looked down at the epipen itself and saw there was a needle. Hold firmly against your thigh for 3 seconds for EpiPen and its generic, 5 seconds for Auvi-Q, or 10 seconds for generic Adrenaclick to deliver the medication. Thanks for reading! How often does a Cessna require an engine overhaul? These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 10.1016/0735-6757(90)90295-B. Ann Allergy. Your injection can be a reason for concern if injected in the hands, feet, or digits. In the emergency room, his thumb was cold and pale. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Sometimes they dont improve hours or days later. 2. I decided to try the practice one I knew was in the case. So we told him "Well, don't hit yourself so hard with it, honey!" and chuckled. Case Series: A care provider accidentally administers an Epipen containing 300ug to thier own thumb/ digit whilst trying to figure out how to administer to a patient. When I went to grab it to throw it out it opened and stabbed me in my palm right under my thumb. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. This however, is the worst-case scenario. The Epi Pen on the other hand has a sort of truncated flat ORANGE cone at the needle end, while the safety catch is the BLUE end. However, sometimes the symptoms get better and then start again a few hours later. Velissariou et al. Am J Emerg Med. (I may earn a small commission on the products linked to in this post.). I accidentally injected myself today in the thumb while administering to an adolescent who had shock after school at an event. elevated heart rate and/or heart palpations. After 8 hours, the entire finger was pink and warm, either because of the decreasing effect of epinephrine after 90 minutes [2], or because of the delayed effect of the attempted treatment. Saff R, Nahhas A, Fink JN: Myocardial infarction induced by coronary vasospasm after self-administration of epinephrine. Thus, those receiving prescriptions for epinephrine autoinjectors should receive similar training. Alain Pcoud is thanked for critically reviewing the manuscript. It will also reduce swelling of the face and respiratory system. In any case, you should always seek medical assistance if you accidentally inject yourself; it's better to be safe than sorry! The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. One woman committed suicide with epinephrine injectors. Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. :). Ugeskr Laeger. This however, is the worst-case scenario. I try so hard to keep it together. I recommend not being weird like me and deciding to stab yourself with your old practice epipen like me, because it might be the real one with a needle and not the practice one. But mistakes happen and you should be prepared. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. This is an Open Access article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( When I stabbed my thigh with the black tip one I guess I got the colors mixed up and thought the black tipped pen was the practice one. Dr. Alvin Lin answered. Google Scholar. The sharp sting will hurt but lasts less than 10 seconds. I think that the tester should be much more clearly marked, we had someone at work who was trying to show us how to help her in case of emergency and she accidentally used the tester and accidentally injected herself with the live pen. Plast Reconstr Surg. The only symptoms I experienced was: shock realizing what I had done, energy that lasted a few hours, slight shaking, some pain at the injection sight, and slight numbing of my leg. If bleeding occurs from the wound, cover with a gauze or towel and apply firm direct pressure without letting go for 5 full minutes by the clock. You should always be checked out at the ER after using your EpiPen. What does a blood sugar level of 1000 mean? A medical student has gone viral by detailing the correct way to use an EpiPen - after watching a video of a clueless girl accidentally stabbing herself in the finger while trying to administer . Peripheral perfusion is restored usually in less than 5 minutes. Vascular surgeons, anesthetists, and a hand specialist were contacted by the treating general internist. Or just take reactants. How can you prevent yourself from sticking yourself with an EpiPen? As soon as he noticed the needle in his leg he pulled it out. Immersion in warm water, application of topical nitroglycerin, and nerve blockade have been attempted without success, although Kaspersen et al. report some recovery [6]. For about ten seconds. [14] successfully used 1.5 mg of phentolamine (from a 10 mg/ml phentolamine mesylate ampoule) diluted in 1 ml of 2% lidocaine to treat such accidents. 2 What common mistake can happen when using an EpiPen? Accidental injection symptoms are typically mild and may include transient numbness or tingling. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. All health professionals concerned with the use of epinephrine autoinjectors should receive adequate instruction on their use. The drug wasn't supposed to be inside of the EpiPen an 11-year-old boy stabbed himself with during health class. Some inks may cause soreness in the mouth. Access to medical databases through new technologies is essential. You'll feel a rush of energy. Like many drugs, there might be side effects from epinephrine, such as anxiety, dizziness, and sweating, and swelling, pain, or changes in skin color at the injection site because of decreased blood flow to the area. message spotted in SoCal snow as some grow desperate, Weekend winner, with the exception of some problematic pollen, Moose charges snowmobiler in Idaho: VIDEO. In summary, follow the steps below to administer an epinephrine auto-injector to yourself: Carefully remove the auto-injector from its clear carrier tube. A puncture wound is of course a wound that is caused by a direct puncture to the skin and often the below layers. the wound is large or gaping and you cant gently push the edges together. Department of Ambulatory Care and Community Medicine, University of Lausanne, Bugnon 44, 1011, Lausanne-CHUV, Switzerland, Christian Mathez,Bernard Favrat&Philippe Staeger, You can also search for this author in Here are a few tips I recommend based on the storage instructions. The entire digit was cool and pale, and a prolonged capillary refill time was seen at more than 10 s (Figure 1). Follow the instructions to remove the safety cap (s). Our pediatrician recommended stabbing old expired epi pens into an orange - apparently its a similar feel to actually using one in the leg and its good practice if youve luckily never had to fire one off. If you alone call your local doctors office or allergist its never a bad idea to let them know the mistake. There might even be a bit of a dark spot from the graphite underneath the skin. After 20-30 minutes the blotchiness has faded and my leg felt a bit better. Adults and children weighing 30 kilograms (kg) or more0.3 to 0.5 milligram (mg) injected under the skin or into the muscle of your thigh. ), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. This however, is the worst-case scenario. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Use your EpiPen at the first sign of anaphylaxis. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Ive battled environmental allergies for years and I always carry an Epipen with me. Should you go to the emergency room immediately? What causes the arms to go numb while sleeping? Remove the device from your thigh . The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Almost immediately, I could tell something was off, not because it hurt but because it felt different than normal. 7). CM, PS and BF have made substantial contributions to conception, design, writing the manuscript and literature review. Case presentation A physician in a Family Practice training program accidentally injected epinephrine into his left thumb while reading the operating instructions of an autoinjector (Epipen). Rinse and wash the area well with running water and soap. Many people dont realize that after using the pen, you still must call 911 and get emergency medical attention, just in case you need back-up treatment. The Epipen can as a result of this increase in blood pressure cause quick heartbeat, and in the case that your heart is damaged or worsening cardiomegaly, this may lead to atrial flutter, which may lead to an atrial flutter which may lead to fibrillation that could collapse your heart. Epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, works by relaxing the muscles of the airways and constricting the blood vessels -- buying people time to get to the emergency room for treatment. Symptoms of an unintentional injection are typically mild and may include: Injecting an EpiPen accidentally into your hands or feet may result in a lack of blood supply to those areas, resulting in numbness. (Brands may instruct users to hold the pen in place for 3, 5 or 10 seconds. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. 10.1001/archfami.3.2.193. Answer (1 of 4): I just saw your comment that you stabbed yourself in the finger. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. But holding it for 10 seconds is appropriate in all cases, and it may easier to remember.). This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The reason: Children and older adults tend to share needles, which leads to infections that can cause serious heart problems if not treated immediately. At the ER they usually only watch you for safety purposes and since I didnt need the ER my mom stayed up until 1am with me to make sure I was safe. An unintentional injection into the hands or feet might reduce blood supply to these tissues, potentially resulting in tissue death. Symptoms of breathing problems, nausea or vomiting, itching, and swelling can come on quickly and become life-threatening. (I had used the practice one before). But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. My wife accidentally stuck her finger and now its white, cold, numb and wrinkly like she just got out of the tub but refuses to seek medical attention. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. . Of course, that was until I accidentally stabbed myself in the thumb with an Epipen needle. Forcefully push the epinephrine injector into the outer-upper portion of the thigh in a stabbing motion, and hold it there for 10 seconds. Zucker G: Use of phentolamine to prevent necrosis due to levarterenol. The greatest risk of an accidental or an incorrect injection is that injecting the epinephrine elsewhere can delay or impair the effectiveness during a time-critical emergency. Have you ever had to deal with an accidental epinephrine injection? But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. In one way or another, you find yourself punctured with a freshly sharpened No. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. What if you make a strange mistake and accidently use the Epipen without needing it. I have accidentally taken a shot from my EpiPen, I thought it was a used one and was getting rid of my old ones, I do suffer with a Heart Condition, Diabetes, Had two Pulmonary Embolisms, Two Brain Aneurysms and Brain Surgeries, Other Surgeries too many to mention and the list goes on. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Accidentally injecting EpiPen into your hands or feet may result in a loss of blood flow to those areas, and resulting numbness. If you get an artificially high dose (milligrams rather than tenths of a milligram) it can kill you. What are the symptoms of an accidental epinephrine injection? pain and swelling at the injection site. What happens if you inject an EpiPen without needing it? All are serious errors that can delay or prevent getting someone the epinephrine necessary to stop a reaction. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". It can be given while wearing pants. Like other injections that go into the muscle (e.g. Why you should go to the emergency room after using the EpiPen. Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative. Tell your doctor if your initial EpiPen injection resulted in a major adverse effect, such as trouble breathing or dangerously high blood pressure, before using it again (severe headache, blurred vision, buzzing in your ears, anxiety, confusion, chest pain, shortness of breath, uneven heartbeats, seizure). "Omigod, Darrel - this isn't the practice pen - this is a REAL Epi-pen!" I shouted. A commonplace for discussion, news, advice and questions with fellow sufferers.
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