Why should a diabetic swab the site of insulin injections with rubbing alcohol first?

Question:

My best friend's ten your old daughter has recently been diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. She doesn't use rubbing alcohol on the site before the insulin injection. Their arguement is that insulin does not go directly into the bloodsteam so there is no danger. i disagree but need proof. she also sometimes reuses the same syringe. please advise of the possible damage and or long term side effects by these practices. many thanks-

Answers:
Alcohol prep is not necessary.There are no research to prove this is ever a problem.
Of course the B-D people say to use a new syringe each time. They are making money on each and every syringe.
Only newly dxed people ever change the Lanette every time.My daughter uses on for so long that it becomes so dull it takes sever hits to actually bleed.
As you become more proficient at taking care of your diabetes you will come to know what is important and what isn't. No need to worry about your neighbor.

to prevent infection. like any other injection

Possibly to remove sweat and foreign organisms on the skin's surface that may enter at the point of entry of an injection site.

Bacteria and viruses are too small to be seen through the naked eye. One way they get into the body is through a break in the skin- which serves as our first line of defense against diseases and infections. If you don't use the alcohol to get the bacteria out of the way first, that needle is going to open the skin up for all kinds of unfriendly bacteria and maybe even push it on in. As for re-using needles- Well, it's not always the drug that kills a drug addict. Sometimes it's the bacteria on the shared or re-used needle.

The concept is to prevent infection. Even without going directly into the bloodstream, the bacteria can still enter the body.

Most diabetics I know re-use their needles. They are expensive, even with insurance, and the risk of passing an infection back to yourself is basically nil. I don't take insulin, but I do re-use the lancets I use to check my blood sugar level, and have never gotten sick from them.

you do it to prevent infection going into the body wether it be the blood stream or not. you should definatly not use the same syringe it is unhygenic and again will definatly cause infection, if you are in hospital and you have to have an injection they always have seperate individual needles wrapped up becuase anything that is goin to enter the body and sumtimes touch the body (care wise) should be sterile, a hospital should never ever reuse a needle so why should they? they are just causing harm to her body and provoking infections, this really is not good.
long term side effects- with not wiping the site clean first will have a nasty infection and becuase she is diabetic they will be much more vulnerable, especially as the little girl is 10 years of age she will be playing and getting dirty, make sure her or whoever gives the injection have clean hands also.
hope this helps a bit
gd luck

my wife says they were told to use alchohol and then they told her not to.she said it a controversal thing.as far as the needle goes as long as its not used on someone else it ok.

I was told a long time ago to use dial soap to swab the sight before injection any insulin it also is to protect against infection that can inter the blood stream at the sight. NEVER use the same syringe twice you can get too much insulin in it ever a drop

http://www.diabetes.org/advocacy/ilschoo.

Page 33 of this manual indicates that you should use rubbing alcohol on the bottle of insulin to clean it. When I was diagnosed, I was told that I should also cleanse the injection site to avoid infection. You are putting the needle from the syringe into your skin (into the fatty tissues underneath the skin). I would't want any dirt to come along with that needle.

Infections are the biggest side effects of not swabbing. I have some first hand experience with a nasty infection at an injection site.

As to the reusing the same syringe .. DON'T . the syringes are much thinner than you think, and there is a whole host of things that can go wrong. Read the information packaged with the syringes. The B-D website gives an overview of what can happen when you reuse the same syringe. http://www.bddiabetes.com/us/main.aspx?c.

I would think the danger is that you're pushing any microbes on the skin's surface into the body. It's irrelevant whether they get into the blood stream or not. She should disinfect the injection site, but can wipe the alcohol off with a clean swap or something if the stinging is what's bothering her.

You use alcohol pads to sterilize the site of injection so you won't get an infection. Using a needle twice is not good, the needle gets dull and has bacteria on it.
The needle does hit veins, how else would it move throughout the body?

31 years diabetic, over 33,000 injections, used alchohol about ten times, have reused my needles about last 6 years with no problems, you can use those things for weeks at a time, less waste, less money.

Why should a diabetic swab the site of insulin injections with rubbing alcohol first?

Health Resources