Table of Contents
- 1 Why are vacuum tubes used for collecting blood?
- 2 What will happen if you remove the needle from the patient’s arm before removing the last tube from the tube holder?
- 3 What happens if the needle is moved after inserting it?
- 4 What happens if you don’t use a tourniquet when drawing blood?
- 5 What are the disadvantages of a vacutainer system?
- 6 What are the advantages of A Vacutainer tube?
Why are vacuum tubes used for collecting blood?
Vacutainers are widely used in phlebotomy in developed countries due to safety and ease of use. Vacutainers have the advantage of being prepared with additives, allowing easy multi-tube draws, and having a lower chance of hemolysis. In developing countries, it is still common to draw blood using a syringe or syringes.
What will happen if you remove the needle from the patient’s arm before removing the last tube from the tube holder?
Engage the needle’s safety device immediately after withdrawing it from the patient’s arm and place the needle/tube holder unit in the sharps container. Under no circumstances should you remove the needle from the tube holder before disposal because it increases your risk of a needle stick.
How does a vacutainer work?
The vein is first punctured with the hypodermic needle, which is connected to a translucent plastic holder. The needle actually has a second, smaller needle, and when a Vacutainer test tube is pushed down into the holder, its rubber cap is pierced. The vacuum in the tube sucks blood though the needle and fills itself.
When do you remove the tourniquet when drawing blood?
Once sufficient blood has been collected, release the tourniquet BEFORE withdrawing the needle. Some guidelines suggest removing the tourniquet as soon as blood flow is established, and always before it has been in place for two minutes or more.
What happens if the needle is moved after inserting it?
Moving during insertion If you move, even a little while the needle is going in, you run the risk of a blown vein. That’s why it’s important to relax your arm and stay as still as you can until the needle is all the way in and the healthcare provider has loosened the tourniquet.
What happens if you don’t use a tourniquet when drawing blood?
Complications include pain, swelling, skin sores, varicose veins, post-thrombotic syndrome, amputation, pulmonary embolism and death. Performing venipunctures without tourniquets is not an option. Constriction of the circulation causes veins to distend as they fill up with blood that can no longer circulate.
What is a Vacutainer used for in a blood test?
Some of them contain additives designed for analytical testing. To make it easy for a phlebotomist to know which tube to use, a vacutainer has color-coded covers. Purple or lavender. This particular bottle is commonly used for Hematology tests, where whole blood is needed for analysis.
What are the disadvantages of using a vacuum tube?
Difficult to Use. One of the main disadvantages of Vacutainers is that there is no flashback to let the phlebotomist know that it is in the vein. If the needle is not in the vein and the phlebotomist attaches the tube, no blood will be drawn and the tube will have to be discarded.
What are the disadvantages of a vacutainer system?
Another disadvantage of Vacutainer systems is that they are not well suited for difficult veins. Other blood draw systems offer more maneuverability, which is necessary in small veins or those that roll. Trauma. There is a greater chance of trauma with a Vacutainer system.
What are the advantages of A Vacutainer tube?
Accuracy. With Vacutainer tubes, dilution of the blood is more accurate. Each tube is pre-filled with the appropriate amount of additive, reducing the likelihood that the dilution will be inaccurate.