Table of Contents
Traumatic venipuncture (slow draw) Trauma can cause hemolysis. Delay in proper mixing may cause clotting of specimen. Recollection of specimen is recommended. Improper handling Not handling specimens properly (e.g. not placing specimens for certain tests on ice) can cause incorrect test results.
What happens if your blood is drawn incorrectly?
Too many attempts to draw blood result in a hematoma (blood trapped under the skin’s surface). This is accompanied by pain and numbness, which turns into permanent nerve damage. Dysesthesia (burning sensation) and paresthesia (a “pins and needles” sensation) may also occur.
What can affect a blood sample?
Your blood test results may fall outside the normal range for many reasons. Abnormal results might be a sign of a disorder or disease. Other factors—such as diet, menstrual cycle, physical activity level, alcohol intake, and medicines (both prescription and over the counter)—also can cause abnormal results.
What are the sources of error during blood collection?
Common errors in blood sample collection include in- correct identification, wrong tube, insufficient sample quantity, clot- ting, hemolysis, and contamination. Unlike some other errors, mislabel- ing of blood samples is 100% pre- ventable.
What are the most common errors in specimen collection?
Two of the most common errors that occur during specimen collection and handling are clotting and inaccurate volume. Exposure to temperature extremes may also cause specimens to be rejected for testing.
Can a blood test damage your arm?
Every time you have a blood test or an IV line in your arm, it damages the veins. Repeated blood tests cause progressive scarring to your veins. Some people, especially those with kidney disease or diabetes, need a lot of regular blood tests, and their veins can get damaged over time.
What happens if a nerve is hit during a blood draw?
There are bundles of nerves close to your major veins, and if one of those nerves is nicked or punctured by the phlebotomist (the person drawing your blood), you could experience the following: The feeling of an electric shock during the procedure. Persistent pain in the arm. Numbness and tingling in the arm and hand.
How often is blood work wrong?
Lab test failures contribute to delayed or wrong diagnoses and unnecessary costs and care. For context, a 2014 study estimated that diagnostic errors happen about 12 million times per year in U.S. outpatients. This represents 1 in 20 adults.
How an improper specimen can affect a patient’s results?
Errors in specimen labeling lead to a higher number of inaccurate test results (e.g. wrong patient-wrong results), which can delay patient’s results and treatment options.
What types of errors can cause invalid test results?
The most common lab errors in the collection of the samples and reporting are: Wrong labeling of the sample. The technique of the blood sample: The wrong sample of the different patients or not the proper identification of the patient. The wrong ratio of the blood and the anticoagulant.
What are the common causes of error in laboratory testing?
The two major causes of analytical errors are instrument malfunction and operator error. Some examples of analytical errors include equipment malfunction, procedures (i.e., standard operating procedures and assay instructions) not followed, undetected failure of quality control, sample mixups, and test interference.
How can a blood test get contaminated?
It has been suggested that during venipuncture the needle may pass through skin structures that still hold bacteria. As a result, these bacteria enter the needle and are then aspirated into the blood culture bottles, causing contamination.
What happens if you underfill a tube with blood?
If tubes are underfilled, the blood:anticoagulant ratio may result in hemolysis. Avoid underfilling tubes by having an ample supply of tubes of various capacities.
What is a possible consequence of not properly identifying the patient with blood specimen collection?
mislabeling costs the average hospital $2700/month; 11% of transfusion deaths are caused by phlebotomists failing to properly identify the patient or the sample; hospital sample/patient ID error rates range from 0.1% in one study to 5 percent in another.
Why does my arm still hurt a week after a blood test?
This is completely normal and should not cause you any concern. Although bruising can be unsightly, it should resolve over the next few days without intervention. Very rarely, pain or discomfort in your arm, hand, or fingers can indicate inflammation of the arm, a tendon or nerve injury, or the puncture of an artery.
How do I know if I have damaged my veins?
What are the primary symptoms of a blown vein? tenderness or mild pain around the injection site. stinging. bruising. swelling.
Why did my blood test hurt so much?
For example, you may have a tiny branch of one of the sensory nerves of the arm actually running over the surface of the vein. Rarely, the needle will hit this tiny nerve on the way into the vein. This may cause a short, sharp electric-shock type pain.
What is the signs of nerve damage?
The signs of nerve damage include the following: Numbness or tingling in the hands and feet. Feeling like you’re wearing a tight glove or sock. Muscle weakness, especially in your arms or legs.
What is the most common complication of venipuncture?
Results: Minor bruising and hematoma were fairly common, involving 12.3% of venipunctures, with minor bruising being the most common reaction. Serious complications were observed in 3.4% of patients. Diaphoresis with hypotension occurred in 2.6%. Syncope occurred in less than 1% of patients.
When is a vein blown?
Blown veins occur when a needle injures or irritates a vein, causing blood to leak into the surrounding area. In some cases, IV fluid or medication may also leak from the vein. Blown veins are usually not serious and will heal with treatment. A doctor or nurse may use pressure or ice to reduce any swelling.
Can blood tests give false results?
However, depending on the test, the manufacturer, and how common a disease is, some tests can be incorrect as often as 50% of the time (like in the case of mammograms for breast cancer diagnosis) or accurate nearly 100% of the time (like in the case of a urine test for chlamydia).
Can a blood test give a false negative?
A false negative (test is negative, but you’re pregnant) can occur if the blood pregnancy test was performed too early. There may not be enough hCG in the blood to detect a pregnancy. 4 If you believe that you received a false negative from testing too soon, your doctor may repeat the test after 48 to 72 hours.
