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December 9, 2005

Blood Tests and Insulin Injections, Other

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Question from Wakefield, Rhode Island, USA:

I drew the 72 units of air into my syringe and forgot to put the Lantus in. So, I injected myself with the air. What can happen?

Answer:

From: DTeam Staff

From a practical point, nothing. You may feel some crackly sounds under the skin. This is referred to as crepitance in medical lingo. The air will diffuse out of the skin slowly and be removed through the lungs. You do not want to inject air into the bloodstream as this could cause an air embolus to the heart and decrease cardiac output. However, injecting air into the bloodstream would require an intravenous line and that is another issue.

JTL