[Intramuscular vaccine in infants. Suck or not suck?]

J M Leyva-Moral1

  • 1Escuela Universitaria de Enfermería del Mar. jleyva@parcdesalutmar.cat

Revista De Enfermeria (Barcelona, Spain)
|May 8, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Aspiration before childhood vaccination does not prevent needle injuries but increases pain. Evidence suggests rapid vaccine administration without aspiration is preferable for children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Immunization Practices

Context:

  • Vaccine administration is a common source of pain for children.
  • Healthcare professionals often perform aspiration before injection, fearing intravascular administration.

Purpose:

  • To review existing literature on the necessity of aspiration before vaccine injection in children.
  • To determine if aspiration impacts pain and safety during vaccination.

Summary:

  • A review of two clinical trials and two systematic reviews found no side effects from not aspirating.
  • Children experienced higher pain levels when vaccines were administered after aspiration.

Impact:

  • Findings suggest that aspiration before vaccination is an unnecessary step that increases pain.
  • Promotes evidence-based practices for less painful and more efficient childhood immunizations.
Abstract