What’s the difference between a needle and a syringe?
The vein is first punctured with the injection needle, which is connected to a translucent plastic holder. The vacuum in the tube sucks blood through the needle and fills itself. The problems of blood contamination during blood collection and distribution with both systems are discussed. A straight needle with a hollow hole or a winged butterfly needle with a short length of hose is connected to a syringe of suitable size.
The needle that pierces the tubes can transport additives from one tube to the next. The sequence is, therefore, standardized so that cross-contamination of additives does not affect laboratory results.
Why is Vacutainer the preferred method over the syringe and needle?
In addition, a patient whose veins are difficult to locate due to unusual anatomy, trauma from repeated phlebotomy, or edema may also need an alternative method of taking blood samples. A patient with veins that can collapse or get injured due to vacuum pressure may need an alternative method of drawing blood or using a smaller syringe. After the blood has been sucked into the syringe, the needle is pulled out of the patient’s vein with a safety device engaged and then released from the syringe. Activate the safety device and dispose of the Vacutainer holder properly using the needle attached to a sharp object container.
What is a vacutainer needle?
As shown in the illustration, the main components of Vacutainer needles are the chamfer, shank, threaded tray, and rubber sleeve that cover the needle. This product combines the easy-to-use BD Vacutainer Eclipse needle with the added convenience of a disposable holder. As the name suggests, a Vacutainer is a complete system for taking blood from the patient into the vacuum blood collection tube. In addition, the Vacutainer Collection Needle features a slanted orientation towards the safety cover to facilitate low-angle placement.
What is the size of a Vacutainer?
Although 21, 22 and 23 gauge needles are three of the most common needles, a broad knowledge of all needle types is beneficial to account for the different sizes of veins and tissues that the phlebotomist may encounter. This needle can be assembled with the more common multi-sample Needle ETS system and tends to have a black color code cover. Young children and infants are the most common patients to be attracted with a 23 g needle, also because their veins are naturally much thinner than those of an adult. Needles smaller than 23 g may hemolyze red blood cells, and the sample could not be processed for testing.
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