butterfly needle and syringe and tube containing human blood
horizontal photo of butterfly needle and syringe and tube containing human blood and plasma for testing with a small amount of blood spilled. In medicine venipuncture or venepuncture (also known as phlebotomy, blood draw, drawing blood or taking blood) is the process of obtaining a sample of venous blood. Usually a 5 ml to 25 ml sample of blood is adequate depending on what blood tests have been requested. In many circumstances it will be done by a phlebotomist, although nurses, doctors and other medical staff are also trained to take blood. Blood is most commonly obtained from the median cubital vein, on the anterior forearm (the side opposite the elbow). This vein lies close to the surface of the skin, and there is not a large nerve supply. Minute quantities of blood may be taken by fingersticks sampling and collected from infants by means of a heel stick or from scalp veins with a butterfly needle. Phlebotomy (removal of blood) is also the treatment of certain diseases such as hemochromatosis and primary and secondary polycythemia. There are many ways which blood can be drawn from a vein. The best method varies with the age of the patient, equipment available and tests required. Most blood collection is done with a Vacutainer or similar blood collection equipment consisting of a plastic hub, a hypodermic needle, and a vacuum tube. Under certain circumstances, a syringe may be used, usually with a butterfly, which is a plastic catheter attached to a short needle. Blood is usually drawn from a vein in the crook of the elbow, the antecubital region. Tubes have color-coded stoppers to indicate what type of anticoagulant or other substance is in the tube. Tubes may contain no additive, a gel substance which separates cells from serum, or a variety of anticoagulants or preservatives ( sodium heparin, sodium citrate, sodium fluoride and potassium oxalate or potassium EDTA). A syringe is used to manually extract blood from a patient. The very young, very old an
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