Has the false injection technique behind rare thrombotic disorders been reported after Covid vaccination?

Recent global studies suggest that the incorrect injection technique used to administer the Covid-19 vaccine may be the reason behind the reported incidence of blood clots after vaccination. I will.

If the injection technique is wrong, the vaccine can be injected into the bloodstream instead of reaching the muscles. According to health experts, this can lead to blood clots.

“If the tip of the needle does not reach deep into the muscle or hits a blood vessel, the vaccine can be injected directly into the bloodstream. This is a very rare possibility. This is well trained. It can occur when an unvaccinated health care worker pinches the skin. Intramuscular injections are to be done without pinching the skin so that the needle tip reaches the muscles. The needle tip only reaches the subcutaneous tissue, “said Dr. Rajiv Jayadevan, a member of the National Covid Task Force of the Indian Medical Association in Coach, Kerala.

(Photo: Twitter / Dr. Jayadevan)

Dr. Jayadevan further explains: “In that case, not only is the vaccine not properly absorbed, but it rarely hits one of the blood vessels that pass through the subcutaneous layer between the skin and muscle. This layer contains a network of blood vessels. . “

“Another problem is that people stopped aspiration. [pulling back the plunger of the syringe] This is to see if it hits a blood vessel during an intramuscular injection, “he said.

“Unfortunately, many updated guidelines [from pre-pandemic days] It suggests that you no longer need to “suck the blood return with a syringe”. This leaves a small chance of missing an inadvertent intravenous injection. In the past, suction was the standard way to prevent the tip of the needle from hitting a blood vessel, “says Dr. Jayadevan.

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He explained that when the needle tip enters such a small blood vessel, it occurs only in rare cases and the vaccine can enter the bloodstream directly and cause an acute reaction.

“Therefore, it is more likely that the adenovirus will be injected directly into the bloodstream,” he said. The Sputnik V, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca vaccines are adenovirus vaccines. Around the world, vaccination with J & J and AstraZeneca can cause blood clots. However, there are few data on side effects after Sputnik V vaccination.

“This was first proposed by Professor Neils Høiby of Denmark in March this year,” added Dr. Jayadevan.

Munich University Study

Another study of mice at the University of Munich, Germany, also suggests that this rare complication of adenovirus vaccine may occur as a result of the vaccine being injected into the bloodstream. .. We used different types of vaccine candidates, such as AstraZeneca (adenovirus vector), Pfizer (mRNA), and placebo, to confirm results after different injection routes.

A preprint of a study by Leo Nicolai and co-authors posted on bioRxiv.org contingent as a potential mechanism of post-vaccination thrombotic thrombocytopenia (TTS), also known as vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia (VITT). Intravenous injection was emphasized.

“Our data provide initial support for a series of events that may lead to TTS in some patients. Thrombocytopenia is activated by platelet-adenovirus aggregation and antibody formation. It may be the result of an accidental intravenous adenovirus vaccination with. It is advisable to aspirate to check the blood in the syringe before injecting. “

Risk of vaccine-induced thrombosis in men and women

Women are at higher risk of blood clots induced by the vaccine. The reason for this is not completely understood. Anatomically speaking, the needle misses the deltoid muscle and is more likely to hit the woman’s subcutaneous tissue.

“Women have a thicker deltoid fat pad, which means they have a thicker layer of fat that separates the skin above the shoulders from the lower deltoid muscles than men,” said Dr. Jayadevan.
This means that a woman’s “hit a muscle” requires the needle to penetrate deeply beyond the skin.

Needles of the same length are used for both men and women. This means that women are more likely to lose muscle with needles. Evidence has been published that women are three times more likely to have the tip of the needle in the subcutaneous tissue.

Women may also have other physiological risk factors for thrombosis.

Is there an increased risk after the second dose?

The risk of blood clots after vaccination has been observed to be lower with the second dose compared to the first dose.

“About one-tenth the frequency of the second dose. One possible reason for this is previous exposure. [first dose] A milder immune response to the virus, and therefore even if it inadvertently enters the bloodstream. The body has never been exposed to the virus on the first dose, “Dr. Jayadevan explained.

The right technique for intramuscular injection

1. Do not pinch the skin. Instead, gently stretch the skin before thrusting the needle at a 90 degree angle.
2. The needle tip must be in the muscle, not in the subcutaneous tissue.
3. Gently inhale before injecting. Make sure it does not hit the blood vessels.

The Statens Serum Insect of Denmark has already published special recommendations on vaccination techniques for all Covid-19 vaccines to prevent inadvertent injections into the bloodstream. Before injecting the vaccine, you need to aspirate the syringe and check the blood.

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