How far do you pull the plunger back when you aspirate ?

**like2juice** · 11-15-2003, 01:57 PM

How far are you supposed to pull back ? A couple of milimetres or more ?

Sorry for the stupid question, I have done searches but could not find anything.

***Mr. Sparkle*** · 11-15-2003, 02:00 PM

It should be about that far, you will feel the vacoom. Its uncomfortable. From what Ive always heard, thats far enough. Maybe others could elaborate a little bit for you.

**majorpecs** · 11-15-2003, 02:00 PM

Just enough to see either blood or air bubbles

**TheMudMan** · 11-15-2003, 02:03 PM

Originally Posted by majorpecs

Just enough to see either blood or air bubbles

Yep.......... it doesn't take much.

**like2juice** · 11-15-2003, 03:14 PM

Ok I just injected 1cc of test cyp, first ever shot !!!!!!!!

Didn't hurt at all.

I had a problem aspirating though, it was really hard to pull back and I couldn't see what the hell was going on so I just injected anyway. Are you supposed to check the orange base of the needle where it attaches to the syringe ? Its friggin hard to see anything.

**BASK8KACE** · 11-15-2003, 03:18 PM

You pull it back just far enough to draw whatever is at the tip of the needle into the syringe. It's not a far distance at all.

If you need to know exactly how far to pull back, do the following:
1. After you finish drawing your AS from the vial, pull the syringe out.
2. Slowly pull back on the plunger until air fills the syringe.
3. The point at which air enters the syringe is the distance you need to pull back when aspirating.
4. Remeber to push the plunger back in to fill the needle with liquid before injecting.

When aspirating, I ususally pull back until I see an air bubble enter the syringe. According to the Upjohn nurse staff, and my doctor's assistant: When aspirating, pulling air or clear liquid into the syringe is fine. When you see blood is when you have to pull out and find a new injection spot.

**sp9** · 11-15-2003, 04:05 PM

When I aspirate I feel resistance when pulling back. When I was in a vein it was easy to pull back and blood rushed in. It is not big deal, just pull out swap needles. Push out most of the blood and try again.

**johnsomebody** · 11-15-2003, 04:12 PM

I've read a post here somewhere by a Doc or a nurse saying they usually just give it a little flick upward and that's enough. I don't believe you have to pull it up a certain distance, you just need to give it some brief upward pressure and if you've hit a vein your own BP will take care of the rest.

My own experience is that I just gave it a little pull for a couple seconds and if no blood, it's good. The one time I hit a vein a lot of blood rushed into the syringe immediately with almost no pull at all.

**clockworks** · 11-15-2003, 05:52 PM

i can pull back less than 1mm and see if the little bubble at the base of the needle gets bigger...or if it fills with blood.

-- clocky

**chicamahomico** · 11-15-2003, 07:20 PM

Give it a light flick or slight tug backwards. If you are in a vein you will see with the slightest backward move of the plunger.

**Catamount** · 11-15-2003, 07:36 PM

In my pharm class we learned to aspirate slowly for 5 seconds........but I'd wait for the air bubbles

**groverman1** · 11-15-2003, 08:18 PM

Air bubbles is good enough

**Ntpadude** · 11-16-2003, 12:12 AM

Originally Posted by like2juice

Ok I just injected 1cc of test cyp, first ever shot !!!!!!!!

Didn't hurt at all.

I had a problem aspirating though, it was really hard to pull back and I couldn't see what the hell was going on so I just injected anyway. Are you supposed to check the orange base of the needle where it attaches to the syringe ? Its friggin hard to see anything.

I only inject where I can use 2 hands to do it... One to hold the syringe steady, the other to aspirate and plunge. I only got air bubbles once I think, yet to ever get blood. Just tug on it some, if you got a vein its suppose to pull back easily so if its tough and resisting, that should be plenty and I was told this by a nurse... also sometimes you have an air bubble in the needle you might not be aware of, this helps pull it out and hopefully your needle is injecting downward and you want get the air bubble into your muscle... Not that the slightest air bubble will kill you, just makes everything hurt and be sore more.

**Dude-Man** · 11-16-2003, 12:23 AM

the bubbles aren't air, they're vaccum.

***Billy_Bathgate*** · 11-16-2003, 12:30 AM

If you TRULY are in a vein, blood will rush in without even pulling back. I do still pull back a tad though, maybe 1-3mm if I measured it, it doesnt take much. Those of you that have watched a nurse give you an IM injection probally didnt even notice them do it, as they do it very fast with only one hand.

IF you do get bubbles, well you got a problem. Not supposed to have air bubbles in your muscle

Like Chris said, its just vaccum.

**BASK8KACE** · 11-16-2003, 12:47 AM

Originally Posted by Billy_Bathgate

IF you do get bubbles, well you got a problem. Not supposed to have air bubbles in your muscle

Like Chris said, its just vaccum.

Billy,

My doctor's assistant, my doctor and 2 nurses from Upjohn have all said that drawing back air or clear liquid into the syringe when aspirating is okay.

But I agree that you don't have to pull back on the syringe hard enough to draw air to do it correctly. Like scottp999 wrote: If there's resistance when you pull back, you're okay. If you're in a vein you will barely have to pull back on the syringe (if at all) and blood will rush in.

Originally Posted by chrisAdams

the bubbles aren't air, they're vaccum.

ChrisAdams,

That's not quite correct.

It's not a huge amount of air that gets pulled into the syringe, it's just a small air bubble. In a vacuum-like situation such as that created by pulling back on a syringe plunger, a gas (such as a small pocket of air) will expand--that's what's creating the air bubble as you draw on the syringe. If there wasn't any air, a bubble couldn't form.

In a true vaccum, you would not be able to pull back on the plunger, becuase there would be nothing to pull back into the syringe. A true vacuum is the absence of matter such as air (air is matter). A perfect vacuum is a condition that does not exist.

I had to stay in tonight to get some work done...I finished my work so, I'm writing about vacuums.

**like2juice** · 11-16-2003, 03:58 AM

Thanks guys you reassured me a lot. It was definitely very hard to pull back it felt like there was a resistance. I'm sure it would have been fairly obvious if I was in a vein.