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