How To Hit Veins You Can't See

Download Article

Download Commodity

Drawing claret quickly and cleanly is an important skill for doctors, nurses, lab personnel, or phlebotomists. Many venipunctures are routine, but you may occasionally meet some difficult veins. Read on from step number one below for useful information and techniques on hit those veins.^[1]

1. 1

   Make sure your tourniquet has been applied properly. Applying a tourniquet increases the corporeality of blood in the vein to brand them stand up out more. The tourniquet should non exist so tight that it cuts off the circulation.^{[2] [three]}

   • The tourniquet should be put on the arm about four inches to a higher place the vein.
   • A claret force per unit area gage that is inflated to 40–threescore mm Hg also works well.

2. 2

   Put a warm pack or water bottle over the expanse. Warmth will make the patient'due south veins dilate and expand, making them easier to see.^[4]

   Advertising

3. three

   Use proper palpation techniques. Contrary to pop civilisation, yous should palpate the arm, rather than slapping it. Slapping the pare is poor technique that may result in a hematoma. Use your index finger to look for a vein, which feels soft and spongy. Don't use your pollex, as it contains its own pulse.

   • The warm pack or water bottle should be put on the area before it is disinfected. Nothing more than should touch the surface area afterward it is disinfected.
   • Do non apply the warm pack or h2o canteen direct to the skin. Wrap it in a sparse towel to prevent burns. If it hurts, information technology is too hot.

4. 4

   Tell the patient to relax. Many people have needle phobias and nervousness and apprehension is a normal response. Stress not but makes the veins hard to hit, simply it could also negatively affect the examination results (specially for biochemistry panels). Reassure your patient and explain that the hurting is very brief and minor.

   • Tell your patient to try visualization and deep breathing.
   • Notice your patient and have them lie down on their back if you think they might faint. This will improve the blood menstruation to their caput. It also reduces their chances of falling and injuring themselves if they practise pass out.

Advertising

1. i

   Verify patient information. Verify the patient name, appointment of birth and reason for claret draw and bank check the labeling to ensure no mistakes are fabricated. Mislabeling could lead to difficulty processing or even safety problems downwardly the line.

2. 2

   Locate the vein. The inside of the elbow is generally the preferred location considering the median cubital vein is commonly easily visible. ^[5]

   • The median cubital vein runs between the muscles and may be clearly visible every bit a bluish bulge in the inside of your elbow. If it cannot exist seen it tin can unremarkably be felt. Information technology is also relatively piece of cake to access considering the tissue around it prevents it from rolling away from the needle.
   • Avoid drawing blood from a identify where your veins separate or join together. Doing so increases chance of haemorrhage under the pare.

3. 3

   Disinfect the area. A common disinfectant is lxx percent alcohol. Wipe an surface area that is at least 2 centimeters by two centimeters for at least a half a minute. After a minute or 2 information technology will have stale.^[vi]

   • Alcohol is better than iodine because if the iodine gets into the blood information technology tin alter values that the lab may be looking for. If you exercise use iodine, follow it with a 70% alcohol swab.
   • Allow the disinfectant to dry before inserting the needle. Do not blow on or fan it with your paw equally this will contaminate the area.

4. four

   Perform the venipuncture. ^[7]

   • Anchor the vein by pulling the skin below the vein taut. This will foreclose the vein from rolling.
   • Insert the needle in at a 15 to thirty degree bending and and then hold it still while collecting blood.
   • Fill up the collection tube with blood, following the order of describe as specified by your laboratory.
   • Release the tourniquet after 1 minute and before removing the needle. Leaving the tourniquet on for longer than a minute volition affect the concentration of blood-red blood cells, possibly altering the test. Withdrawing the needle while the tourniquet is still on will result in pain.

5. v

   Utilise pressure to the puncture expanse for 5 minutes after the needle is out to stop the bleeding. ^[viii]

6. half dozen

   Dispose of the needle in a hard sided, biohazard container.

7. 7

   Double cheque the labeling on the tube to make sure it is authentic.

Advertisement

1. i

   Look for another vein if the median cubital vein is not visible. If you cannot find the vein in the inside of the elbow in either arm, look for another 1.^[9]

   • Move downwards the forearm looking for the basilic vein or cephalic vein. These veins may also exist visible through the peel. Take the patient lower their arm and make a fist to make the veins more obvious.
   • The cephalic vein runs along the radial side of the forearm. The basilic vein runs along the ulnar side. The basilic vein is less frequently used than the cephalic. It is more than likely to roll away from the needle than the cephalic vein because it is not held as tightly in place by the tissues effectually it.
   • If no veins can be accessed, find the metacarpal veins on the back of the hands. They are usually very visible and can be palpated. They should non be used for elderly patients considering the skin is not equally supple and does not support the veins too. In addition, the veins themselves go more delicate.

2. ii

   Observe sites to avoid. Practise non depict blood from areas that:

   • Are virtually an infection
   • Have scarring
   • Have a healed burn
   • Are on an arm that is on the same side as where the patient had a mastectomy or fistula placed
   • Are bruised
   • Are above an IV line
   • Are on an arm where the patient has a cannula, fistula, or vascular graft

3. 3

   Correct improper needle placement. Occasionally, you may encounter bug with the needle, such as going too far into the tissues or inserting it at too low of an angle (so the bevel is against the wall of the vein and impedes blood flow).^[10]

   • Pull the needle back a fiddling bit without removing it from the skin.
   • Change the bending of the needle while it is still under the pare then that it can be inserted into the vein.

4. four

   Give up and take a colleague do the process if your second attempt fails. Protocol in many laboratories dictates that phlebotomists must try a venipuncture ii times, and to have another person do it if both attempts are unsuccessful.^[11]

Advertisement

Add together New Question

• Question

  Phlebotomists- How do you arroyo a hard vein? I am still new and non comfortable with them yet.

  

  Shari Forschen is a Registered Nurse at Sanford Health in Due north Dakota. Shari has worked in healthcare since 1996 and her expertise lies in acute intendance bedside nursing on a medical oncology flooring. She received her degree from Medcenter one Higher of Nursing in 2003 and her Family Nurse Practitioner Masters from the University of Due north Dakota in 2014. Shari is a member of the American Nurses Clan.

  

  Principal'south Degree, Nursing, University of North Dakota

  Expert Answer

• Question

  I have small veins and have had problems with blood withdrawals. Is there some kind of exercise to assist improve your veins or brand them bigger and more visible?

  

  Shari Forschen is a Registered Nurse at Sanford Wellness in North Dakota. Shari has worked in healthcare since 1996 and her expertise lies in acute care bedside nursing on a medical oncology floor. She received her caste from Medcenter ane College of Nursing in 2003 and her Family Nurse Practitioner Masters from the University of North Dakota in 2014. Shari is a member of the American Nurses Association.

  

  Main's Degree, Nursing, University of North Dakota

  Expert Answer

• Question

  What if the veins are nearly finished in your arm or manus? Where do I go so?

  

  Shari Forschen is a Registered Nurse at Sanford Health in North Dakota. Shari has worked in healthcare since 1996 and her expertise lies in acute intendance bedside nursing on a medical oncology floor. She received her degree from Medcenter one College of Nursing in 2003 and her Family unit Nurse Practitioner Masters from the Academy of North Dakota in 2014. Shari is a fellow member of the American Nurses Association.

  

  Master's Degree, Nursing, University of Due north Dakota

  Expert Answer

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Ad

Video

• All materials which have been contaminated with blood should be tending of in a biohazard container that is puncture resistant, such as a Sharps container.

• Single use materials such as needles should never be reused.

Ad

Nearly This Commodity

Article Summary 10

If yous're trying to draw blood from a hard-to-hitting vein, get-go, necktie a tourniquet almost 4 inches above where you want to insert the needle. Then, put a warm pack or warm water canteen over the surface area, since estrus makes veins dilate and expand. Next, palpate the arm rather than slap at information technology, since slapping tin can give your patient a hematoma. When you've targeted a vein, try to get your patient to relax by having them lie down or exercise some deep animate exercises, since stress tin can make veins harder to striking. For tips from our Nurse Practitioner on how to detect some other vein if the median cubital vein isn't visible, ringlet down!

Did this summary aid you?

Thank you to all authors for creating a page that has been read 679,168 times.

Did this commodity aid yous?

Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Draw-Blood-from-Hard-to-Hit-Veins

Share this post