I injected heroin into an artery in my hand accidentally. it is very swollen and i don't know what to do i am an addict in recovery and had a recent relapse. the swelling seems to have gone down a bit but its still swollen.

As : As dr. Ring notes, this is a true hand emergency. Intra-arterial injection can clot the vessel and stop circulation to the area. In addition, street drugs can contain a wide variety of contaminants that can cause infections and chemical burns. I have seen an outbreak of gas gangrene from heroin that was contaminated with clostridium perfringens--one of the "flesh-eating" bacteria. Delay in care can result in loss of skin, fingers, the hand, the whole arm, or even life.