PEDIATRICS Vol. 84 No. 1 July 1989, pp. 136-137
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by HICK, J. F.
Right arrow Articles by GOERGEN, B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by HICK, J. F.
Right arrow Articles by GOERGEN, B.

Optimum Needle Length for Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Inoculation of Infants

JOHN F. HICK MD1, J. WILLIAM CHARBONEAU MD1, DUANE M. BRAKKE RT1, and BARBARA GOERGEN RN, MS1

1 Depts of Pediatrics and Diagnostic Radiology, Mayo Clinic,Rochester, MN

There is no consensus about the most appropriate needle length for injection of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccine in infants. IM administration with a 2.54 to 3.17 cm (1- to 1 frac14-in) needle was recommended according to the 1982 Red Book. A specific recommendation for needle length was deleted from the 1986 Red Book, although IM administration was still recommended. This route is preferred because of the known risk of sterile abscess formation related to subcutaneous administration of the DTP vaccine.

No systematic surveys have been conducted among practitioners to establish the most commonly used needle length for DTP shots. We informally surveyed the five largest pediatric clinics in the Minneapolis-St Paul area and found that four of five clinics used a 1.58-cm (frac58-in) needle.

Submitted on November 13, 1986
Accepted on September 16, 1988




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 BMJHome page
L. Diggle, J. J Deeks, and A. J Pollard
Effect of needle size on immunogenicity and reactogenicity of vaccines in infants: randomised controlled trial
BMJ, September 16, 2006; 333(7568): 571.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Evid. Based Nurs.Home page
L. Diggle
The WHO technique for intramuscular thigh vaccination in infants and toddlers had fewer adverse reactions than 2 other techniques
Evid. Based Nurs., January 1, 2006; 9(1): 9 - 9.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
J. Groswasser, A. Kahn, B. Bouche, S. Hanquinet, N. Perlmuter, and L. Hessel
Needle Length and Injection Technique for Efficient Intramuscular Vaccine Delivery in Infants and Children Evaluated Through an Ultrasonographic Determination of Subcutaneous and Muscle Layer Thickness
Pediatrics, September 1, 1997; 100(3): 400 - 400.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 The Diabetes EducatorHome page
V. Peragallo-Dittko
Aspiration of the Subcutaneous Insulin Injection: Clinical Evaluation of Needle Size and Amount of Subcutaneous Fat
The Diabetes Educator, January 1, 1995; 21(4): 291 - 296.
[PDF]