What Is the Safest Way to Administer Epinephrine Autoinjectors to Children?

Epinephrine autoinjectors for treating life-threatening anaphylaxis can be administered in two ways: press and place (P&P) or swing and jab (S&J). Administering autoinjectors to children carries a risk for skin laceration and subsequent scarring. Although the EpiPen manufacturer recommends S&J, several guidelines now recommend P&P. To examine how each method affects the risk for laceration, this study team filled needleless trainer EpiPens with paint to determine how much a needle head would travel over the skin surface during administration.

Children between 5 and 11 years were recruited during routine outpatient visits, and a family member used both methods when administering two trainer EpiPens. A digital micrometer was used to measure th…