Primary Methods of Phlebotomy

Answer 1

In the world of modern phlebotomy, there are a number of different ways for a phlebotomists or other medical professional to obtain venous blood from a patient. Generally known as venipucture, there are a number of important reasons why a medical professional will need to obtain a patient’s blood, and there are different methods to extract blood from a patient for each particular situation. In some cases, a phlebotomist will need to add an additive to the blood after it has been extracted, while other cases call for the blood to be stored and transported in its pure form. Here is a quick look at the primary methods of phlebotomy.

The method of blood extraction that is used by a phlebotomist is often dictated by the age and health of the patient. For example, blood is usually extracted from infants and very young children through the use of fingerstick sampling. Fingerstick sampling involves the use of a small needling the barely pricks the heel of the patient or a butterfly needle that takes a sample of blood from the patient’s scalp.

These days, the vast majority of phlebotomists in the Western world use an evacuated tube system for extracting blood, while the traditional needle and syringe is still quite common is less developed parts of the world. The most popular evacuated tube system in use in the United States is the Vacutainer. The Vacutainer consists of a double ended needle that is set on one end in the rubber seal of the needle’s holder. When the needle is inserted into a patient’s vein, the pressure forces the other end of the needle through the seal, causing a vacuum in the tube into which a patient’s blood flows. These evacuated tubes have been in use since the middle of the 20th century and are considered far more reliable and hygienic than the outdated needle and syringe.

While a phlebotomist can sample a patient’s venous blood from a number of locations on the body, the easiest point of access is the median cubital vein is located on the inside of a patients elbow. This is the most popular site for extracting blood due to the small number of nerves contained in the region, as well as the fact that the vein is very easy for a phlebotomist to locate.