Medical Assistant Prep / Unit 20 MAS 483 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Performing a Venipuncture
The idea
A venipuncture follows one sequence from start to finish, so that nothing is missed while the needle is in the arm.
In practice
Step one: with the patient identified, the tubes chosen and the site selected, apply the tourniquet and recheck the vein. Step two: clean the site and let it dry. Step three: anchor the vein below the site and ask for a fist. Step four: insert the needle swiftly, bevel up, at a shallow angle. Step five: push each tube onto the holder in the order of draw, letting each fill completely and inverting it gently as it comes off. Step six: release the tourniquet and ask the patient to open the fist. Step seven: withdraw the needle, apply gauze, activate the safety device and drop the needle into the sharps container.
Where people slip
Release the tourniquet before the needle comes out. Withdrawing against a tight tourniquet forces blood into the tissue and causes a hematoma.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
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