17
May
Epinephrine is a medication that falls into the category of alpha and beta-adrenergic agonists. Its purpose is to relax the muscles in the airways while tightening the blood vessels. Additionally, epinephrine can stimulate the heart – it can raise the dropped blood pressure, reverse hives and reduce face, lips and throat swelling. Usually, it is available in the form of injections used in treating life-threatening allergic reactions caused by food, insect bites, latex, medications, etc.
When it comes to potentially dangerous allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) for which you are aware of, you need to avoid those allergens. However, sometimes bad things can happen, even unintentionally, which is why you need to be prepared for this. Having an EpiPen auto-injector at all times is the first step and seeking immediate medical help is the second thing you can do in these situations. Keep in mind that only a healthcare professional can decide whether you need an additional dose of epinephrine or not. If you are new to this, equipping yourself with an EpiPen training device is the right thing to do.
Except for the actual injector, EpiPen has designed an EpiPen training device that works the same way as the real one. The only difference is that the training one does not contain а needle or epinephrine in it. The main purpose of this training unit is to help administer EpiPen calmly in an emergency situation. Unlike the real injector that can be used only once, this training tool can be used as many times as you want.
The training device is labeled with “Training device” and is light blue in colour, while the real EpiPen is yellow and the junior version is green. For its use, you will need to lay down on the ground, form a fist around the device with the orange shield facing down and pull off the blue safety release. It is important to practice keeping your fingers and thumb away from the orange shield as this is where the needle is contained on the real injector. Once done, hold the leg still and press the orange shield end against the outer mid-thigh. Push down hard in order to hear or feel a click as this is the right way to stimulate drug delivery. Hold the device in the same position for about 3 seconds.
To practice again, you will need to reset your training device by replacing the blue safety release. Once you do it, place the orange tip on a hard surface (a tabletop for example) and squeeze in the sides of the orange tip whilst pushing down.
