• Question: Where would you take blood from and why? is it because of how big the vain is?

    Asked by jess10amy to Luca, Liam, Emma, Damian, Alan on 17 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Liam Bagley

      Liam Bagley answered on 17 Jun 2013:

      Hi Jess,

      I am a qualified phlebotomist which means I can take blood from people for research. I take blood usually from the inside of peoples arms on the inside of their elbow, this is where it is easiest to find a vein. The skin is also very thin so its easier to get a needle through into the vein. Take a look at this picture which shows it better:
      Its over in a second and I’ve done it hundreds of times so people don’t usually complain when I do it now!
      So this is why we take blood from this place in the arm but its whats in the blood which counts! Exercise and the conditions the people are put under can change whats in our blood, which is what I’m interested in!

    • Photo: Alan Richardson

      Alan Richardson answered on 17 Jun 2013:

      Hi Jess

      You can take blood from many places. As Luca says, the normal place is from inside the elbow. Often we find that it is difficult to get a large enough sample, especially if we take more than a few samples over a some hours. So we sometimes take blood from the hand or feet.

      Another method of blood taking is cannulation, where we put a small tube inside the vein linked to a 3 way tap. This allows us to take many samples without having to put any more needles into them. I think there is a picture of this on my profile.

      The reason we take from these areas is because of accessibility, the arm is easy to get to and the veins are quite near the surface. Size isn’t really too much of a problem in most healthy people. In diabetics or people with circulatory problems it can be difficult to find large enough veins.

      Thanks

      Alan

    • Photo: Emma Ross

      Emma Ross answered on 17 Jun 2013:

      The best place is where the veins that carry the blood are near to the surface and where we can get access easily, so inside the elbow is ideal, because, if you look there’s you can see the veins quite clearly, and it is easy for someone to be able to insert a needle there whilst someone is sitting comfortably, with just a outstretched arm.

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