æðarsprautu

æðarsprautu is the Icelandic term for arterial injection or, in some contexts, the arterial spurting of blood. It denotes both a medical technique in which a substance is delivered directly into an artery and a forensic description of a high-pressure blood jet produced when an artery is injured. The word is formed from æð, meaning artery, and sprauta, meaning to inject or spray.

In medical use, intra-arterial administration aims to deliver drugs or contrast agents straight into the arterial supply of an organ or tumor. This approach can achieve higher local concentrations and reduced systemic exposure, and it is used in procedures such as intra-arterial chemotherapy, selective arterial embolization, and diagnostic angiography. Procedures typically involve catheterization of an artery, imaging guidance, and careful monitoring for complications. Possible risks include arterial injury, vasospasm, thrombosis, embolism, infection, and tissue ischemia. The technique requires specialized training and equipment and is applied in interventional radiology and oncology.

In forensic and clinical literature, arterial spurting describes a pattern of blood expulsion that results from arterial bleeding, often producing a high-velocity jet or fountain-like spray. The pattern is influenced by arterial pressure, wound location, gravity, and body posture and can aid assessments of wound dynamics, weapon effects, and timing in investigations. However, it is one of several indicators and must be interpreted alongside other forensic evidence.

See also: intra-arterial injection, angiography, intra-arterial chemotherapy, arterial wound patterns.