Only 5 units of insulin per injection site??

While doing clinicals in the ICU I had the RN tell me that you should not inject more than 5u of insulin per injection site because the body cannot absorb more than that from one location. So for a patient that needs 15 units for example you would inject 5u in upper arm, 5u a few inches lower and 5u a few inches lower-all from the same needle and syringe.

I had never heard this so I asked him if he was taught this in nursing school. He said no but his brother who is an NP at a diabetes clinic teaches it to all his patients. I have scoured the internet for research to back this up but have not come across anything.

Has anyone heard this before? Do you believe its true? Is there research to back it up?
umm..noone time, i gave lantus 70 units in the abdomen. i would not subject my patient to 14 unnecessary injections and from the same needle? infection control, anyone?are you sure this person was indeed an rn?

Whoa! I would lose count on some patients, and then what?

Can you imagine how many more non compliant people would become with diabetes control if they had to give themselves 4 to 5 injections at a time?!No never heard of it before, I wouldn't want to subject patients to any more injections than I had to.

Never heard of it, and since I have a lot diabetics in the unit, it's a bunch of whooey. I give Aspart on a sliding scale patient and watch blood sugars drop like a rock.Where was she getting her info? Inside a box of Cracker Jack?

Who the heck would want to poke someone even 5 times? I feel bad enough when I have to give two shots at a time because their lantus. WOW I cannot imagine that... plus I have seen many people respond with lower blood sugars after dosing the regular way... sliding scale 1 shot 1 site!

Quote from utah23lpnwhile doing clinicals in the icu i had the rn tell me that you should not inject more than 5u of insulin per injection site because the body cannot absorb more than that from one location. so for a patient that needs 15 units for example you would inject 5u in upper arm, 5u a few inches lower and 5u a few inches lower-all from the same needle and syringe.i had never heard this so i asked him if he was taught this in nursing school. he said no but his brother who is an np at a diabetes clinic teaches it to all his patients. i have scoured the internet for research to back this up but have not come across anything.has anyone heard this before? do you believe its true? is there research to back it up?

Never heard of that, and I'm in school now. The one thing they stress all of the time is that we give insulin in the abdomen because it absorbs the fastest from that site. If you want slower absorption use the extremities, but I haven't really seen it that much in my (limited) experience in the hospital.

That is DANGEROUS information...infection control for one...Using the same needle? In a diabetic patient who may be more prone to skin infection to begin with?UM, NO!

Now we do have some of the endocrinologists order the larger doses of lantus to be given as split doses, but it is clearly ordered that way.As in...Lantus 110 units subcut, to be given as 55 units in two divided injections in separate sites for a total for a total of 110 units.Considering that our insulin pens are single use only, this requires a new needle for each injection, as the safety lock engages after each injection.This is the only time I divide a dose, as I have an order to do so.

Most of my patients are diabetic and I've never heard of this. I'd ask your instructor, who should probably in turn speak with the facility's educator. This RN sounds as if she needs to be educated.

Yeesh! How would people who need larger doses even begin to rotate sites? I'd ask her where she got this information.

I'm a diabetes CNS - you may, on occasion, split huge doses, but I've given over a hundred units in one site without incident. The important information about insuling and injection sites is 1) to rotate sites to avoid causing longterm issues with scarring and uneven absorption, and 2) ensure ultra long acting insulins are administered in a different area than all other insulins (eg opposite arms), while still rotating sites.Congratulations to the OP for recognising that this was a bizarre concept, researching it, and seeking clarification here. That, right there, is the critical thinking we all hear so much about