Phlebotomy—a Minimalist Approach

Blood loss from laboratory diagnostic tests in children

“…A huge variation in blood sample volume draws seen in the present study was not related to the number of tests requested, and the highest blood volume overdraw was 46-fold more than that needed by the laboratory. Similar data from Dale and Pruett [ 11 ] show two-to 108-fold more than necessary amount of blood taken from 95% of all their samples, although the number of clinical chemistry determination was five or fewer. The clear-cut increase in the mean values of blood volume collected into regular tubes with the increase in patient ' s age can be explained by the reluctance to use small collection devices in older children due to difficulty in manipulating very small tubes (handling, labeling, etc).…”

Uncertainty in Clinical Chemistry Measurements Including Preanalytical Variables

“…Storage of serum at room temperature may be a critical factor because at temperatures above 22 C, stability decreases. Some findings support the assumption that serum for most purposes can be stored cold for 1 week [58]. CLSI [57] recommends that serum is stored at 2-8 C if the sample cannot be analyzed within 8 h. If the sample cannot be analyzed within 48 h, the sample should be frozen at -20 C. For storage of serum in gel tubes, it is recommended to perform analyses within 2-5 days after phlebotomy and also to take into account the manufacturer's references [57].…”

Blood Loss from Laboratory Tests

“…The titles of publications on this topic, such as "Medical Vampires" (1 ), "Iatrogenic Anemia" (2,3 ), and "Nosocomial Anemia" (4 ), are indicators of the problems that may arise. Blood loss from diagnostic tests could be reduced by newly developed selective analyzers, smaller sample volumes, and blood-saving collection techniques, but recent reports claim that laboratory-related blood loss must not be underestimated, especially during long-term intensive care (5)(6)(7)(8).…”