Pubis or groin
INJECTING IN THE PUBIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. Before starting to inject in the pubis area, the injector must first make sure that he / she has no other alternative, and still wants to continue injecting. The facilitator should present all the risks involved with this route of administration( swelling, infection, paralysis, overdose) and explain the difference in the colour of the blood drawn in the syringe before injecting – red for vein( safe), pink for artery( unsafe). Since the pubic region is one of the more sensitive areas of the body, it needs a lot of blood, hence there are many arteries close to the surface in the pubis area, as well as nerves. This makes it one of the“ worst” places to use for IV injection. And it really hurts!
Arteries
INJECTING INTO AN ARTERY IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. Injecting into an artery is by mistake – you would certainly never want to do it on purpose! All drug injectors should be warned that they should never inject into a blood vessel in which they can feel a pulse. Arteries carry fresh blood from the heart around body. If an artery is hit there is a risk of stopping the blood reaching the extremities, like toes, feet, legs and fingers. If these areas are deprived of blood they can die and drop off due to gangrene.
Blood clots may also travel to the brain and possibly cause strokes. This usually does not happen at the time of injection, but some time later. Veins, arteries and nerves run alongside one another in a tangled mess. Wherever there’ s a vein there’ s a possibility of injecting into an artery.
For those who hit an artery by mistake or otherwise, they should immediately withdraw the needle and not complete the injection. They should put strong pressure on the site for at least 15 minutes and raise the affected limb if possible and use ice around the area to limit swelling. Bleeding may persist. If it does, the person should seek immediate medical care. Gentle massage over the next few days may help to remove toxins from the area, but if any pain is experienced, it will only cause more damage.
Arms