Needle Injury

Approximately 30 minutes after needle EMG, patients who are taking direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) will undergo an ultrasound examination to evaluate for the presence of possible intramuscular hematomas at the muscles where the EMG needle was inserted. These hematomas are considered a potential adverse effect of needle EMG. The aim of the study is to determine whether needle EMG can be considered a safe procedure in this group of patients, without posing a risk of intramuscular hematoma formation.

In addition to the well-known toxicological harms of intravenous drug (IVD) use, there can also be local tissue complications, including infections, venous sclerosis, tissue necrosis, and drug needle fragment retentions. Drug needle fragments in subcutaneous tissue may cause local symptoms (usually pain and infections), but they have also been identified as causing emboli to organs. The literature has described numerous case reports of people who inject drugs (PWIDs) and have retained needle fragments. The prevalence of the condition is not known, and the researchers therefore aim to perform the first cross-sectional study of PWIDs to estimate how common needle fragment retentions are and what their risk factors are in this population.