Intracardiac injection

Intracardiac injections are injections that are given directly into the heart muscles or ventricles. They are used in emergencies.

Procedure

Intracardiac injections of drugs were generally used only to provide emergency drugs to a patient if other approaches would be ineffective; for example if drugs could not be administered intravenously due to individual circumstances. The procedure is performed by inserting a long spinal needle into the ventricular chamber. The needle is inserted in the fourth intercostal space between the ribs. Today it is considered obsolete, and other routes to give drugs are preferred (i.e. via an endotracheal tube or intraosseus (direct in the bone))

Uses

nothing in this section

Complications

The two primary complications are injury to the coronary artery and haemorrhage within the pericardium, or tamponade (constriction of the cardiac blood vessels). The probability of complications can be reduced by using a narrow gauge of needle.