I understand that consent is not required to purchase any goods or services from this school and that my consent can be revoked at any time. 6. Extend the arm. Place a tourniquet and clean the area for 30 seconds with an alcohol wipe. Extend the arm. Its important to speak to your supervisor to learn the steps in order to become certified in your hospital. Some patient-friendly advice for getting blood drawn include the following: As a phlebotomist, though, you cant expect patients always to follow perfect procedures to make drawing blood easier, and you may even find that some patients are rude. Nowadays, there is equipment that can help us locate the vein. Everyones arm anatomy is different and while one technique may work for a person, combining two or three may be the answer for another. Ask a friend to donate at the same time . You can support each other and do twice as much good! In a way, you have to entertain a person during phlebotomy. Use either a syringe or the luer adapter with the butterfly system. Password must have upper and lower case letters. It will easily increase the smaller veins. Without further ado, here are 50 tips that will help you perform this crucial procedure. You need to keep their attention and make sure they do not notice the needle. After that, you need to see if the patient has any medical condition, if he is using drugs or if he is fasting. instance: "61c9f514f13d4400095de3de", If you continue to use this site, we will assume that you are happy to continue. If you are having difficulty finding a vein or is unsuccessful at drawing blood, ask for assistance from another experienced phlebotomist or you can get help from a doctor. What constitutes a difficult vein? If a person is overweight, it might be harder for a professional to find the vein. Beaumont Laboratory GERIATRIC PHLEBOTOMY TIPS Venous access should always be based on feel, not looks. Get the latest on all things nursing by joining our email newsletter. Lastly, you will have to mix tubes with an anticoagulant. If properly inserted blood should flash into the catheter. Persons must be trained to use the blood pressure cuff. Phlebotomy Pages advises that individuals use touch as their primary indicatorwhen looking for the vein from which to draw blood.1 Veins will often feel as though they are slightly risen beneath the skin. What about other resources that may be available? These devices are good at locating superficial veins, however, their ability is limited for deeper veins. In the event that you cant locate the appropriate vein strictly by vision, this can be a great alternative method. This can help reveal the vein. Applied Muscle Tension (AMT) is a series of simple exercises that help your blood pressure stay up and improve blood flow, so your chance of experiencing any side effects, like fainting, stays low. Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh. You could get help from them. Youll be the first to know about nursing news, trending topics and educational resources. For routine antisepsis, you can use a standard alcohol prep pad or alcohol-impregnated swabs. Drink plenty of water an hour before the draw. Most people have normal looking serum. We and our partners share information on your use of this website to help improve your experience. Talk about pressure! Patients health is your priority. If you can find a vein with that desirable characteristic, youll know that youve discovered a usable vein, even if its not prominent. Another thing a person can do is to try to be relaxed as much as possible. 3,377 Posts. 0000009423 00000 n obese Insert the needle at a 15 to 30-degree angle into the vessel. This represents the massive concentration of certain molecules in the blood. When you encounter such a case, make sure to use blood pressure cuff or try one of the other tricks we shared in our guidelines. 0000000016 00000 n If you experience dizziness or lightheadedness, stop what youre doing and sit down or lie down until you feel better; avoid performing any activity where fainting may lead to injury for at least 24 hours. Obesity - Diagnosis and treatment - Mayo Clinic 0000276013 00000 n This is an extremely large vessel and if stuck properly can yield excellent blood results. Get someone to assist if you are not trained or dont have experience. Remove the tourniquet as the last amount of blood is drawn. Some guidelines suggest 40mm Hg. Identify the patient using two patient identifiers as mandated by JCAHO. 0000008998 00000 n You should draw blood in the following locations: Often, you wont know your patient personally before drawing their blood, unless you work at a smaller practice and have done it for them before. WebIf you are drawing blood from an arm, make sure to sit near the patient, as close as possible. If you can see the vein clearly, then this will only help you ensure that you place the needle correctly the first time. Insert the beveled needle at a 30-degree angle into the vessel. Sometimes, its even hard to feel them with your finger. You may need the approval of a physician or someone else. This allowed him to see the vein and was able to get the IV in. At nurse.org, we believe that no one knows nurses better than, well, nurses. 0000017785 00000 n } Obese patients, particularly those considered to be extremely obese, have reported being treated with disrespect by physicians and other medical staff. Apply heat for about 3 to 5 minutes and then assess for vein. Additional equipment such as goggles and splash shields should also be worn in extreme situations. How To Draw Blood | A Step-by-Step Guide - Nurse.org Thirdly, they may lose their appetite and drink less fluids. When the blood draw is complete, gently release the tourniquet. On average, it is much harder to find veins in people with darker skin tone. The e-mail address is not made public and will only be used if you wish to receive a new password or wish to receive certain news or notifications by e-mail. A tourniquet should also never be left on for more than one minute. These other sites should always only be considered when there are no other viable options available to you. Sometimes, you will need another person or two to help you with difficult patients. Quiz and answer key included. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. 0000022045 00000 n Avoid exaggerated hyperextension, which can be uncomfortable for the elderly. Very often, drinking water will get veins to show up that were not visible or palpable before. Bloating. Spaces are not allowed; punctuation is not allowed except for periods, hyphens, apostrophes, and underscores. N. Cleanse the puncture site: Cleanse the site with 70% isopropyl alcohol until clean. Some patients have hypovolemia or reduced volume of circulating blood. Moreover, because their veins are so fragile, the elderly may receive several sticks in order to draw blood or get sufficient blood. For multiple samples use the luer adapter or a 10 ml syringe. Blood Test Vs Blood Donation (Comparisons). Orange light highlights veins as deep as 3 mm. If using wet or damp washcloths, do so with caution. The number of samples or volume of blood needed will tell you which size syringe to use. Secondly, they lay most of the time. There are two main ways to find a vein to draw blood. When drawing blood, you will need several tubes for different samples in your equipment. If you allow the visible stress or discomfort of your patient to permeate your own mentality, then youre far more likely to make a mistake or miss the vein. A second option for finding veins and drawing blood are hand veins. Doing so can help move veins and tendons away from each other increasing the likelihood for a vein to show up. You should never tie it too tightly at first. 0000008644 00000 n The Highest Paying Jobs For Nurses With a BSN, Types of Masters in Nursing Degrees & Specialties, Pros & Cons of Getting a Master's Degree in Nursing, Nurse Practitioner vs Physician Assistant, Highest Paid Nurse Practitioner Specialties, How to Conduct a Nursing Head-to-Toe Assessment, How to Read an Electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG), Understanding and Interpreting the Glasgow Coma Scale, Complete List of Common Nursing Certifications. Dont go deep. If you cant find a good vein, move to the back of the hand. It includes preparation of the patient, finding the right vein, insertion of the needle, disposal of waste and handling of potential hazards. Furthermore, they protect the nurse or healthcare professional from a potential needle stick. Venipuncture tips: 50 Actionable Tips to Perform Measure the distance from the top of the head to the chin. As a phlebotomist, I have been faced with situations where drawing blood from a person was quite difficult. As we mentioned, it is your duty as a medical professional to ensure the patient that everything will be ok. For example, Red Cross Blood has pointed out that many individuals will have had blood drawn before and may be able to point out the vein that was used in that procedure.2 If this is the case, you can streamline the process of locating the proper vein to draw from. Remove the needle from the patients arm and press down on the vessel with gauze. Those veinfinders are worthless. You dont have to drink tons of water the night before but the recommended daily water intake should suffice. Enjoy :). Every so often I'll go in an area where I'm not sure whether I feel anything or not, but know there's usually a vein there. Top Student Loan Forgiveness Programs for Nurses, Top Nursing Interview Questions & Answers, How to Create a New Graduate Nurse Resume, Best White Shoes for Nurses and Nursing Students, Best Stethoscopes for Nurses and Nursing Students, How to Work in the US as a Foreign-Educated Nurse, Why Nursing is a Great Career Choice for Men. WebTips for Drawing Blood Always feel the vein rather than see it! Word of caution: make sure to remove the substance before rubbing the vein with alcohol. Some health care settings may insert blood drawing peripheral intravenous catheters into this vessel for frequent blood draws. Massage the arm. I was in a patients home a few days ago and had to call EMS, the patient was obese and her spouse said she had terrible veins. Pull it back slightly and blood should flow. Check out our list of the top non-bedside nursing careers. Has 1 years experience. venipuncture is one of the main parts of your job. Before and after the insertion, the tube should be left in the holder. Patients Explain the procedure and reason for the blood draw to the patient.

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