Adrenaline auto injectors

Hello, my name is Gemma Farrand, and I'm one of the Special Needs School Nurses for Cambridgeshire Community Services. Welcome to the practical demonstration on how to effectively give an Auto Injector. You should have done the theory behind this before watching the demonstration. Adrenaline Auto Injectors are given to treat Anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a severe and potentially life-threatening reaction to a trigger, such as an allergy, that usually develops and gets worse very quickly. It's a medical emergency and can be very serious, if not treated quickly. Some symptoms include: swelling and tingling to the lips, tongue and throat; rashes, welts and hives; breathing difficulties, noisy breathing, coughing and hoarse voice; and abdominal pain and vomiting.

Firstly, it's important to remember to remove the allergen if you know what it is and are able to do so safely. Also, make sure you have the child or young person's anaphylaxis care plan in front of you. This will give you steps to follow and what may work for that child. Determine why you are going to inject the Auto Injector. It should always be given into the muscle on the outer thigh. Check the expiry date and that the pen is correctly labelled for that child. Schools are now starting to keep their Auto Injectors. Make sure you know if your school has them and if so, where they are located. Also, check the viewing window on the pen, making sure it's clear and free of particles. Do not use if this is the case. Grasp the Auto Injector with your dominant hand, with the needle facing down.

The EpiPen and Jext pen have safety caps on the top, which need removing first. Make sure you're holding the leg with the other hand, in case they move it when you are injecting. If using an EpiPen, hold ten centimeteres (10cm) away from the leg and jab firmly holding in place for three seconds. If using an Emerade or Jext pen, you press the pen to the thigh and push firmly. Hold the Jext pen for ten seconds and the Emerade pen for five seconds. You will hear the injection fire. Please don't worry too much about remembering the individual times. If in doubt, count to ten whilst holding the pen in place. The instructions are on the side of the pens. It's a good idea to familiarize yourself with these prior to using.

Here is a demonstration of how to use the pens.

OK, so I'm now just going to demonstrate how to administer the Adrenaline Auto Injectors. So for an EpiPen, you need to remove the blue cap on the end. Locate where you're going to inject it. So the upper outer thigh. Grasp with your dominant hand. Hold the leg with your other. The EpiPens need to be about ten centimetres (10cm) away from the leg and injected. Hold in place for three seconds. And get the thigh a rub afterwards. The Jext pens have a yellow cap on the end, which just needs to come off. Again, locate where you're going to inject it, so the upper outer thigh. Grasp with your dominant hand. Hold the leg with your other hand. And then this one goes against the thigh and push firmly. Hold in place for ten seconds. And give the thigh a rub afterwards.

The Emerade pens, take the cap off the ends, locate where you're going to go to the upper outer thigh. Grasp with your dominant hand. Place the pen against your thigh. Inject and hold in place for five seconds. And give the thigh a rub afterwards. If in doubt, just leave them in place for ten seconds, don't worry too much about the timings. The EpiPen just needs to be held about ten centimetres (10cm) away from the leg. Thank you.

Once complete, remove the Auto Injector and gently rub the site for a few seconds, make a note of the time and call an ambulance if one has not already been called. All children must go to hospital after receiving Adrenaline, keep the Auto Injector and give to the paramedics when they arrive. This way, they can dispose of it safely and also check what has been given. The needle will automatically be covered by the built in needle protection once administered, so the risk of needle stick injury is reduced.

Thank you for watching this demonstration. If you have any questions, please contact us and we will be happy to help.