Question

Upon aspiration during local anesthetic administration, the dentist notices a stream of blood entering the anesthetic cartridge. What conclusion can you draw from this?

a) The cartridge is expired.
b) The needle is too short.
c) The blood vessel has been penetrated.
d) The patient is allergic to the anesthetic.

Answer 1

The conclusion is that the blood vessel has been penetrated.

Step-by-step explanation:

The conclusion that can be drawn from blood entering an anesthetic cartridge during aspiration is that the blood vessel has been penetrated (c).

When administering a local anesthetic, the dentist uses a syringe and needle to inject the anesthetic into the surrounding tissues. Aspiration is the process of drawing back on the plunger of the syringe to check if blood is being drawn into the syringe. If blood enters the cartridge during aspiration, it indicates that the needle has unintentionally penetrated a blood vessel.

In such situations, the dentist should stop the injection, withdraw the needle, and reposition it to avoid further complications.