Abstract:
The COVID-19 pandemic and the constant scrutiny of vaccination that we have witnessed in the media remind us that the intramuscular injection of vaccines is far from being completely standardised. A particular issue that has been the subject of ongoing debate is the appropriateness of aspirating prior to the intramuscular injection of vaccines.
Although aspiration prior to intramuscular injection was standard practice until a few years ago, it is no longer recommended by the World Health Organisation and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Assorted reasons given include the absence of large vessels in the deltoid area, increased pain, lack of evidence in favour of the aspiration technique, and auto-disable syringes (which usually do not allow aspiration) do not appear to have been associated with increased adverse events in mass campaigns.
Reference:Herraiz-Adillo Á, Martínez-Vizcaíno V, Pozuelo-Carrascosa DP. Aspiration before intramuscular vaccines injection, should the debate continue? Enferm Clin (Engl Ed). 2022 Jan 22:S2445-1479(22)00006-6. doi: 10.1016/j.enfcle.2021.10.002. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35078751; PMCID: PMC8783631.