firstfrontiers t1_j50ntmt wrote on January 19, 2023 at 4:10 PM

Reply to comment by Roadgoddess in Is there any difference in efficacy when a vaccine is administered somewhere other than the upper arm (e.g. on the foot)? by MercurioLeCher

There's overlap between medications and some medications can be given either way. However IM is going to be a slower release over time versus being immediately introduced all at once into the bloodstream. I know the form of medication or the substance it comes in plays a role too, some play better with different tissue types (some meds we give into the fat tissue as well depending on absorption). There's also the issue of bleeding risk which would be higher trying to give something IV when it's safer in a clinic setting to just give it IM. But as far as I'm aware the biggest factor is the more controlled release time

firstfrontiers t1_j5061lt wrote on January 19, 2023 at 2:10 PM

Reply to comment by boooooooooo_cowboys in Is there any difference in efficacy when a vaccine is administered somewhere other than the upper arm (e.g. on the foot)? by MercurioLeCher

To my understanding you're trying to get it absorbed into the bloodstream, which is why you aim for muscle which is highly vascular tissue

firstfrontiers t1_j505f7w wrote on January 19, 2023 at 2:05 PM

Reply to comment by seanmorris in Is there any difference in efficacy when a vaccine is administered somewhere other than the upper arm (e.g. on the foot)? by MercurioLeCher

Interesting, I didn't know about this! Do you have any more detail on that?

firstfrontiers t1_j4yyfk3 wrote on January 19, 2023 at 5:54 AM

Reply to Is there any difference in efficacy when a vaccine is administered somewhere other than the upper arm (e.g. on the foot)? by MercurioLeCher

It has to be delivered intramuscularly. Any large muscle group will do, which is why we have a few spots to choose from - the upper arm, hip/glute area, thigh. Upper arm is easiest to do in the clinic typically although it's not abnormal to be asked to pull your pants down for shots! You can get more than just vaccines delivered via intramuscular route. Efficacy would be affected, yes, if the vaccine just gets into thick skin layers like in the foot.