First inject air into cloudy slow-acting insulin bottle

To make it easier to withdraw the insulin later, you first put an amount of air into the cloudy insulin bottle that is equal to the dose you will give.

Pull the plunger of the syringe down to the mark that gives the correct dose of cloudy insulin so that air is drawn into the syringe.

Plunge the needle into the cloudy insulin bottle and push the plunger up so that all the air is expelled into the insulin bottle.

Now remove the needle from the bottle without withdrawing any insulin. You will draw this insulin up later.

Draw up the quick insulin first

Draw air into the syringe by pulling the plunger of the syringe down to the mark that gives you the dose of the quick-acting insulin.

Inject air into the clear insulin bottle

Insert the needle into the clear insulin bottle and push the plunger up injecting all the air into the bottle. Be sure that the point of the needle is below the surface of the insulin with the bottle inverted.

Draw down the plunger to the correct mark on the insulin syringe. Some air will probably enter the syringe and appear as a bubble at the top or the side of the barrel. Hold the syringe with the needle and bottle still in place in a vertical position with the needle pointing upwards and tap the barrel gently so that the air bubble is at the top of the insulin in the syringe.

Now push the plunger back a little way to force the air back into the bottle. Draw down again to the correct mark, if air is still in the syringe, repeat this process until it is completely gone. Now finally check that the plunger is down to the correct mark giving the correct dose.

Remove the syringe and needle from the bottle.

Draw up the cloudy insulin second

Now plunge the needle of the syringe (which has got the quick-acting insulin already drawn up, and all air bubbles have been removed) into the bottle of cloudy insulin holding it inverted. You have already put air into this bottle so it will be easy to withdraw the correct dose.

Draw down the plunger of the syringe until it comes exactly to the mark that you calculated gives the total dose, i.e. the addition of the quick-acting which is already in the syringe and the slow-acting dose. No air bubbles can enter the syringe as you filled the syringe and needle with insulin and expelled the air on drawing up the first insulin. Be careful not to go beyond the correct dose.

Remove the syringe and needle from the bottle. You are now ready to give the injection.

*16/54/5*