Overview/Description Why are high-pressure injection injuries so serious? High-pressure injection injuries usually require emergency surgical treatment. When fluid enters the body it begins to kill the tissue. Gangrene can set in if the injury is not treated promptly. There is also a risk of blood poisoning and bacterial infection. Surgery is usually required to remove the dead tissue and clean out the injected fluid from the wound. Failure to act quickly may result in the need to amputate fingers and limbs. The risk of amputation significantly increases if the wound is not treated within 10 hours. Unfortunately, fluid injection is often painless and the point of entry through the skin is usually very small and has a harmless appearance (see photographs below). Pain and swelling may not appear for several hours after injection (sometimes it can take a a couple of days before pain and swelling are experienced) The severity of the injury depends upon several factors:

• Type of fluid injected into the body
• Amount of fluid injected
• The pressure of fluid injected
• Presence of toxins or bacteria within the fluid
• Degree of the spread of injected fluid within the body
• The time between injection and surgical treatment. (This is the most important factor – the sooner the surgical treatment the less long-term disability will result)