Prepare equipment
- Kidney dish
- Vacuum sample bottles
- Gauze swab
- Non-sterile gloves
- ChloraPrep/alcohol wipe
- Plaster
- Sharps bin
- Vacutainer
- Tourniquet
- Blood request form + stickers!
Introduce yourself, check patient and gain consent for procedure
Prepare the patient
- Ask the patient if theres an arm they’d prefer/spot that people usually go for
- Position the patient so they are comfortable with the arm supported
- Apply tourniquet
- Identify suitable site and vein
- Clean skin with appropriate preparation and cross hatching and allow to dry. Avoid re-palpating skin in cleaned area
Obtain sample
- Clean hands with gel and don gloves
- Anchor vein with non-dominant hand
- Insert needle bevel up into vein and watch for flashback
- Hold vacutainer still and insert blood bottles in correct order - fipping them to prevent coagulation
- Release the tourniquet as last bottle filling
- Withdraw needle and place gauze over side
- Place needle into sharps bin
- Label bottles at the bedside and place in bag
Clear away
- Ask patient to press onto gauze if possible
- Apply a small dressing
- Dispose of waste into clinical waste bins
Order of blood bottles
Blood samples to be taken in the following order:
- Gold (SST 11)
- Red (Serum)
- Light blue (Sodium citrate)
- Yellow (ACD-B)
- Black (ESR)
- Green (Heparin & PST 11)
- Lavender (EDTA)
- Pink (Cross match)
- Grey (Fluoride Oxalate)
- Royal Blue (Trace element)
Flip them upside down a couple times to prevent coagulation