Needle gauges

• Type: special needle attached to collection bag

• Use: collect donor units, blood donation, therapy

15-17

• Type: multisample, hypodermic

• Use: Large-vol tubes, large-vol syringes

20

• Type: multisample, hypodermic

• Use: standard routine needle for normal veins or syringe blood culture collection

21

• Type: multisample, syringe

• Use: older children/adults w/ small veins, syringe draws on normal/difficult veins

22

• Type: blood collection set

• Use: infants/children veins, hand veins/difficult veins in adults

23-25

• Vein size/condition

• Type of procedure

• Vol of blood drawn

• Equipment

Needle gauge selection

21

Standard needle for AC venipuncture in adults

hemolyze

A needle that is too small may ________ the specimen

• Multisample: 1 or 1.5 in

• Syringe: 1 or 1.5 in

• Butterfly: 0.5-0.75 in

Needle lengths

• Barrier between hands and needle after use

• Activated with one hand

• Allow hands to remain behind needle at all times

• Not an accessory - integral part

• Safety feature is permanent - in effect before disassembly and remains in effect after disposal to protect users/trash handlers

• Simple

• Doesn’t interfere w/ pt care

Characteristics of safety features

Closed system - pt’s blood flows from a needle inserted into a vein directly into a collection tube (no exposure to air/outside contaminants)

Evacuated tube system (ETS)

1. Special blood-drawing needle

2. Tube holder

3. Evacuated tubes

ETS tube 3 basic components

1.8 - 15 mL

Evacuated tube sizes

Allow it to fill with blood until the normal vacuum is exhausted and blood no longer enters the tube

To reach the stated volume of a vacuum tube

• Improper storage

• Opening the tube

• Dropping the tube

• Advancing the tube too far onto the needle before venipuncture

• Needle bevel becomes partially out of the skin

Premature loss of vacuum

• Premature loss of vacuum

• Removing the tube from the holder before the vacuum is exhausted

• Stopping blood flow during the draw

Underfilled tube - partial draw or short draw

The ratio of blood-to-additive has been altered

Test results may be compromised in partially filled tubes that contain additives because …

• Draw vol of 3 mL or less

• Difficult or inadvisable to draw larger quantities of blood

Tubes designed to partially fill without compromising results