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Where is the dorsogluteal injection site landmark for intramuscular injections?

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Final answer:

The dorsogluteal injection site is located by identifying the posterior superior iliac spine and greater trochanter of the femur. It's once utilized as an intramuscular injection site, but is less preferred now due to potential complications. The ventrogluteal site is considered safer and thus now more commonly used.

Step-by-step explanation:

The dorsogluteal injection site is a previously recommended location for intramuscular injections, which is found on the gluteal region of the body. To locate this site, one would identify the posterior superior iliac spine and the greater trochanter of the femur. The dorsogluteal site is then identified by dividing the distance between these two landmarks into quarters and injecting into the upper outer quadrant. This site has fallen out of favor due to the proximity to the sciatic nerve and major blood vessels, and other sites such as the ventrogluteal are now preferred.

The landmark for this site includes the posterior superior iliac spine, which is found by locating the dimples on the lower back. Directly inferior to this is the posterior inferior iliac spine. Both these points serve as attachment areas for muscles and ligaments, and are part of the iliac crest, a curved bone at the top edge of the pelvis. However, the current guidelines suggest using other sites like the ventrogluteal muscle, which is safer for the patient due to a lower risk of hitting blood vessels or nerves.

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