Word parts
What it means
A route for giving drugs and vaccinevak-SEENA product that trains the immune system to protect the body against a specific disease.Full entry by needle deep into a muscle, where many blood vessels carry the drug into the body. Common sites are the deltoid in the upper arm, the ventrogluteal site on the hip and the vastus lateralis on the thigh (the usual site for infants). The deltoid holds only a small volume, about 1 mL in an adult.
For the nurse
Choose the site and needle by the client's size and the amount of drug, and inject at a 90-degree angle. Check the site afterward for pain, redness or a lump.
In a chart
"Influenza vaccine 0.5 mL IM given in left deltoid."
At a glance
| Abbreviations | IM |
|---|---|
| Spanish | intramuscular |
| Also written | IM, intramuscularly |
Related terms
subcutaneous
Under the skin; in the fatty layer between the skin and the muscle.
syringe
A tube with a plunger, used to draw up liquid and push it out, often through a needle.
IV
Intravenous: into a vein, or the tube placed in a vein to give fluids and drugs.