Optimum Needle Length for Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Inoculation of Infants

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Abstract
There is no consensus about the most appropriate needle length for injection of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccine in infants. IM administration with a 2.54 to 3.17 cm (1- to 1 ¼-in) needle was recommended according to the 1982 Red Book. A specific recommendation for needle length was deleted from the 1986 Red Book, although IM administration was still recommended. This route is preferred because of the known risk of sterile abscess formation related to subcutaneous administration of the DTP vaccine. No systematic surveys have been conducted among practitioners to establish the most commonly used needle length for DTP shots. We informally surveyed the five largest pediatric clinics in the Minneapolis-St Paul area and found that four of five clinics used a 1.58-cm (⅝-in) needle.

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