Fat Ass: Rear End Injections Fall Short

Dublin - An injection into the patient’s bottom may not be such a reliable method to administer medication. That’s the result of a study from physicians of the Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Dublin. The study has found many patients have too much fatty tissue around their posterior and that this prevents the syringe's contents from reaching muscle.

The findings were worse in obese women. The injection did not reach the muscles of the buttocks in 68 per cent of the participants. The results of the study were presented at a conference of the Radiological Society of North America.

The scientists concentrated on 50 patients where scans were being conducted in the abdomen and pelvis region. Every participant got an injection which contained a little bleb. Thereby the location of the drug should be shown during the scan. The researchers found out that for men 56 per cent of the injections reached the muscle tissue. The success rate in women was only eight per cent.

Compared with men women dispose of a higher amount of adipose tissue. The executive scientist Victoria Chan explained that longer needles were necessary to achieve the favoured impact.

Chan pointed out that the actual study has proven that the majority of people, particularly women, wouldn’t receive the necessary amount of the medicine. "There is no doubt that obesity is the reason therefore. We found a new problem that is ascribed to the increasing amount of fat in the bottoms of the patients," Chan said.

Many drugs are applied via injections into the bottom muscles, including analgesics, immunisations, contraceptives and medicine against nausea. It was believed that the bottom was most appropriate because it contains only a few big blood vessels, nerves or bones that could be injured by the injection needle. The bottom muscle disposes of a high quantity of tiny blood vessels which are very good at absorbing the medicine.

Intramuscular injections are also a widespread alternative to the administration of tablets. According to the BBC, the intramuscular injection procedure has increased within the last ten years and new medicines are being developed for this technique.

Chan said the results of the study would imply that the maximum effect of the medicine or even an effect could not be reached. If the drug isn’t absorbed into the bloodstream it stays in the adipose tissue where it could lead to local infections or irritations.

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