Medical: How To Use an EpiPen

Michelle Trachtenberg as House's patient
Image from FOX

At the beginning of House M.D. season 2 episode 18, this girl had an anaphylactic shock, the girl tried very hard to take out an EpiPen but she couldn't inject that by herself and her boyfriend didn't know how to use it. Lucky that her mum came to her rescue by injecting it into her daughter's thigh.

House and Foreman with near-death patient in a lift
Image from FOX

The remaining of the show is great and I highly recommend it as it is so good! But the episode made me realised that I didn't know (now I do) how to use a EpiPen if someone on the street needs help in a similar situation. Knowing how to use an EpiPen can be just as important as knowing how to perform a CPR! And this is just what I will talk about in this entry.

Image from EpiPen

EpiPen is actually a product name, the actual name should be Epinephrine autoinjector,
"a medical device used to deliver a measured dose (or doses) of epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) using autoinjector technology, most frequently for the treatment of acute allergic reactions to avoid or treat the onset of anaphylactic shock."

Here's the non-exhaustive instructions on the use of EpiPen:

Image from EpiPen

EpiPen comes in two concentrations, 0.3mg for patients over 66 pounds (30 kg) and 0.15mg for patients between 33 to 66 pounds (15-30 kg). 

Lastly, another interesting thing is, the EpiPen should NOT be put in the fridge. My mum definitely likes to keep medicines in the fridge, if she had one, the EpiPen would have been unusable.

Touch wood, no relatives need this.

One thing learnt is one life saved.


Vocabulary:
thigh --  (n)[C]
Epinephrine autoinjector -- (n)[C] a medical device used to deliver a measured dose (or doses) of epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) using autoinjector technology, most frequently for the treatment of acute allergic reactions to avoid or treat the onset of anaphylactic shock.

Resources:

Medical Vocabulary: Medical Words from House M.D. @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2012/07/medical-vocabulary-medical-words-from.html

Song & Medical: Stayin' Alive -- Bee Gees & CPR @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2012/05/song-medical-stayin-alive-bee-gees-cpr.html

How to use an EpiPen
http://www.epipen.com/how-to-use-epipen

Epinephrine autoinjector @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epinephrine_autoinjector

EpiPen
http://files.epipenprc.gethifi.com/how-to-use-epipen/03-855-00_-_NGAPatient_Insert_cropped.pdf