| Table 5-2 | Intramuscular Site Selection |
| Age Of Patient | Recommended Site |
|---|---|
| Infants | Vastus lateralis (Anterolateral thigh) |
| Toddlers (1-2 years) | Vastus lateralis (Anterolateral thigh) (preferred) or deltoid if muscle size is large enough |
| Child/Adolescent (3-18 years) | Deltoid (preferred) or vastus lateralis (anterolateral thigh) |
| Adults | Deltoid (vaccines); ventrogluteal or vastus lateralis (anterolateral thigh) (general IM injections) |
Source: Adapted from Arslan, G. G., & Özden, D. (2018). Creating a change in the use of ventrogluteal site for intramuscular injection. Patient Preference and Adherence, 12, 1749-1756. https://doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S168885; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021, May 4). Vaccine recommendations and guidelines of the ACIP. General best practice guidelines for immunization: Best practices guidance of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/acip-recs/general-recs/administration.html; S¸anlialp Zeyrek, A.Takmak, S¸., Kurban, N. K., & Arslan, S. (2019). Systematic review and meta-analysis: Physical-procedural interventions used to reduce pain during intramuscular injections in adults. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 75(12), 3346-3361. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14183; Wolicki, J., & Miller, E. (2020). Chapter 6. Vaccine administration. In J.Hamborsky, A.Kroger, & C.Wolf (Eds.), Epidemiology and prevention of vaccine-preventable diseases. The pink book (13th ed.). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Public Health Foundation. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/vac-admin.html.