Before you start giving the injection, you'll need the following supplies.
Enoxaparin bottle or tinzaparin bottle
insulin 30 unit syringe 50 units syringe
or 100 units syringe
alcohol swabs
cotton balls
and a sharps container
before giving enoxaparin or tinzaparin, you first need to draw
up the medicine from the bottle make sure to check the date on the medicine
bottle to make sure it has not expired. To draw up enoxaparin or tinzaparin
first wash your hands in soap and water
pick a clean and bright environment to draw up and give the medicine for the
first time you'll need to remove the vial cover and write the date you first
used it
now clean the rubber stopper on a medicine bottle with an alcohol swab
before each use. Wait a few seconds for the alcohol to dry. Remove the cap from
the needle and syringe. Put the needle through the middle of the rubber stopper
on a medicine bottle. Now turn the bottle upside down with the syringe in it
ensure the tip of the needle is in the solution, slowly pull down on the plunger
of the syringe until you have a bit more than the required number of units. Your
doctor or pharmacist will tell you what dose your child is going home on.
For example, if the amount of your child's medicine is 11 units on this syringe
pull the plunger below 11 units and push it back up. Ensure the top of the black
plunger is aligned with the unit. It is best to do this at your eye level it may
not be accurate if you have to look up or look down at the syringe check the
syringe for any air bubbles. If there is a large air bubble, pull back on the
plunger again then push it slowly back into the syringe until the air bubble is
gone. Please note that it is not harmful to inject an air bubble under the skin
however, if you are injecting air rather than medicine your child may not be
getting the full dose which may mean they are not being properly treated.
Repeat until you have the desired amount drawn up. Now lift off the medicine
bottle from the syringe, be sure not to touch the exposed needle to any surfaces.
It is now ready to be given to your child. Put the cap back on the syringe if
you're not giving the medicine immediately. Safe areas of injection
include the thighs and the upper arms. Do not use the buttocks. If you have
concerns about where to inject the medicine ask your doctor or nurse.
For the thighs, proper areas are the top front side and outer part of the thigh.
Do not use the inner thigh or the back of the thigh. Now divide the thigh into
thirds. The injection site is in the middle third. For the upper arms, proper
area is the phytate area on the side and back of the arm.
This site is generally for infants older than four to six months of age.
Now divide the upper arm into thirds. The injection site is in the middle third
section. First choose the injection site. Ensure the skin is clean. You do not need
to use an alcohol swab. Try to change the injection sites with each injection you
give. For example, inject into the left thigh in the morning and the right thigh
at night as write rhymes with night. Now gently squeeze up a well-defined fold of
skin and fat with your thumb and index finger. Hold the shaft of the syringe in
a dart fashion. Insert the needle directly through the skin at a right
angle quickly into the fatty layer move your hand into position to direct the
plunger do not move the needle tip once it is inserted. Inject the medicine at an
even pace. Firmly push the plunger down as far as it will go. Pull the needle out
gently at the same angle you put it in. As you take out the needle let go of the
skin roll apply firm pressure with a cotton ball to the injection site for
three to five minutes following each injection to reduce the chance of
bruising. Do not rub the area as they may irritate
the skin. Put the needle and syringe in a thick plastic bottle or a sharps
container with a lid this is for safety. When the container is full, bring it to
your local pharmacy or local waste management department they can safely
dispose of it for you. Do not put it in your regular garbage
can. Remember to keep the medicine bottle and the syringes out off your child's
sight and reach and locked up in a safe place. Not every pharmacy keeps the
medicine vials in stock on a regular basis, therefore, please call your
pharmacy at least two days before you run out of the medicine to order refills.
You will also be given a prescription for the right size of syringes which you
can buy at any local pharmacy. A new needle and syringe must be used each
time. Enoxaparin and tinzaparin may or may not be covered by your
private drug plan or the Ministry of Health. Please contact your health care
provider if you need assistance