Step 22: Slowly inject the factor

Guidelines:

• To inject the factor, push the plunger of the syringe.  Be sure to remove the tourniquet before pushing the plunger.
• Inject smoothly, not in stops and starts.
• Inject at the rate of not more than 100 units of factor per minute.  Be sure not to push too hard or too fast.  Infuse more slowly if the vein is small.
• If you are unsure how fast to infuse, call your hemophilia nurse.
• If you infuse too fast, you may have one of the following symptoms and need to slow down:
  • You feel a tingling at the site or in your hands or lips.
  • You feel light-headed or short of breath.
  • You feel burning and irritation at the site.
• If the needle comes out of the vein, stop infusing.  Start over at another site with a new needle.
• If there is swelling or pain at the site, the needle may have gone through the vein or slipped out of it.  This can cause the factor to leak into nearby tissue (infiltration).  You must stop infusing and begin again at another site with a new needle.

Figure 4-20  A boy infusing factor.