The notion of injection , which derives from the Latin iniectio , has several uses. The first meaning mentioned by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) in its dictionary refers to the act and result of injecting : introducing a liquid or a gas into something, providing a stimulus or a resource.
The fluid that is injected is also called injection. In the field of medicine , therefore, the medication that is delivered through a pressure puncture with a hypodermic needle and a syringe is called an injection.
Both the hypodermic needles and syringes are sterile and are individually packaged for single use to minimize the risk of infection when giving the injection.
Injections can be subcutaneous , intramuscular or intravenous depending on where the needle penetrates. The choice of one or another method will depend on the type of treatment to be performed.
In the United States , Vietnam and China , lethal injections are used to kill people sentenced to death . In this setting, a combination of drugs is injected intravenously to cause cardiac arrest.
This method of execution must be applied in a specific amount and continuously to give rise to the series of states that culminate in the death of the subject: unconsciousness, respiratory paralysis and a heart attack. Its use is legal only in the three countries mentioned in the previous paragraph.
Among the components of lethal injection is a group of drugs called depressants: sedatives, hypnotics and analgesics . These are the first to be administered to cause the inhibition of brain functions, leading the subject to anesthetic hypnosis , a state of unconsciousness in which the senses are suppressed.
It is very important to highlight that the action of these drugs must be effective to prevent the individual from reacting to the following: Sodium thiopental , an immediate and brief barbiturate that produces short-term general anesthesia; Midazolam , a depressant substance that relaxes muscles, is anticonvulsant and amnesiac, among other of its properties; Hydromorphone , an analgesic that combats severe pain .
The lethal injection is followed by neuromuscular blockers , also known as muscle relaxants , which generate a gap between the striated muscle and the neuroelectric impulse, so that the former cannot contract and, therefore, a generalized paralysis occurs. The respiratory muscles are also affected, so that breathing is not possible and, consequently, suffocation occurs.
Finally, potassium ions arrive, which are administered by certain donor agents . The effect they cause is the paralysis of the cardiac muscle through saturation of the tissue environment, which prevents the cells from flowing out.
In the field of mechanics , on the other hand, the fuel system that supplies pressurized fuel to an internal combustion engine is known as injection. Most current vehicles use an injection system.
An inkjet printer , finally, has a mechanism that allows it to eject small amounts of ink onto the paper. Thanks to its affordable cost, these printing equipment are the most used by home users.
The intramuscular injection , on the other hand, is one that is administered directly into a muscle . Among its advantages is the speed with which the drugs act and the effectiveness of their absorption. This method is used to inject certain pain relievers, anti-inflammatories, and vaccines. Each substance must be applied to a particular part of the body, taking different precautions.