April 5, 2003
Blood Tests and Insulin Injections
Question from Midlothian, Virginia, USA:
Last week, when my 19 year old son injected his insulin, the needle broke off and left approximately 1/4 inch in his arm. He says he is not in pain. He has been injecting himself since the age of 10, and this has never happened. My son told me that he began to experience the needles bending with his most recent supply of syringes.
His general practitioner sent him to the emergency room where they basically did nothing. They said the could not find it to extract, put him medication to prevent infection, and told him to see his doctor in a week.
What happens if the needle stays in his arm? Can it just be left there? Is this a problem that a lot of people experience? Can it be a bad batch of syringes?
Answer:
I must confess has never happened to a patient of mine. It is a stainless steel foreign body like that left in after other surgeries. If it isn’t bothering him, I likely would leave it alone. As to frequency of this happening, I only have my own experience, so it is very rare.
LD
