probing
Medical term Routine Blood Collections
Moving the needle around blindly under the skin to find a missed vein; WHO advises avoiding it because it can damage nerves.
Sources
Related terms
- veinA vessel that carries blood back toward the heart under low pressure. Superficial arm veins are the usual…
- plasmaThe liquid part of unclotted blood, separated by centrifuging a tube that contains an anticoagulant; it…
- plateletThrombocyte: a small cell fragment that sticks at a vessel injury to form a plug and helps clotting. Low…
- potassium oxalateAnticoagulant often paired with sodium fluoride in gray-top glucose tubes.
- povidone-iodineIodine antiseptic. Carried into a sample it may falsely raise potassium, phosphorus or uric acid, so alcohol…
- prolonged bleedingBleeding at the puncture site past about 5 minutes; keep pressing, never bandage over active bleeding, and…
- pulmonary circulationBlood flow from the right ventricle through the lungs, where it picks up oxygen, and back to the left atrium.
- pulseThe throb of an artery with each heartbeat. A pulse under the fingertip means an artery is there; do not…
- refluxBackflow of tube contents into the vein; keeping the arm angled downward while tubes fill prevents it.