TITLE:
The relationship between body mass index, thickness of subcutaneous fat, and the gluteus muscle as the intramuscular injection site
AUTHORS:
Sakiko Sakamaki, Yuko Yasuhara, Kazushi Motoki, Kensaku Takase, Tetsuya Tanioka, Rozzano Locsin
KEYWORDS:
Intramuscular Injection; Gluteus Muscle; Subcutaneous Fat; Body Mass Index
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.5 No.9,
September
13,
2013
ABSTRACT: An
intramuscular injection (IMI) is an injection given directly into the central area of a
specific muscle. Certain medicines need to be administered by the gluteal
route for these to be effective. The aim of this study was to determine the
influence of body mass index (BMI), subcutaneous fat, and muscular thickness
of the dorsogluteal IMI site among healthy Japanese women. There were 39
healthy female subjects who volunteered and met the criteria. Their ages
ranged from 40s to 60s (50.82 ± 6.04). With the data collected using the
B-mode ultrasound images of the dorsogluteal site, it was found that the distance
from the epidermis to the under-fascia (DEUF) of the gluteus maximus was
dissimilar between the subject’s right and left buttocks. It was found that the
distance from the epidermis to the iliac bone (DEI) was significantly more on
the right than on the left buttocks. In the case of an adult Japanese woman
with a BMI of 21 or more, the DEUF of the
gluteus medius was found to be about 30 mm, and the DEI was approximately
50 mm or more. Based on these findings, it is recommended that a needle length
of 38 mm (1.5 inches) can be safely used to administer IMIs to the gluteus
medius muscle to effectively and efficiently deliver medications through the IMI
route.