Wednesday, June 3, 2009

What Definition and Types of Phlebotomy Are There?

By Shahbaz Khan

Phlebotomy is the process of obtaining a sample of venous or arterial blood from patients from a puncture site or an incision for analyzing and testing depending on the diagnosis or prognosis. Phlebotomy can be a part of patients therapeutic regimen to treat certain diseases.

Phlebotomy is classified on the basis of the sample collection procedure and the use of different vessels of circulatory system. Phlebotomy venous blood sample, (also called as phlebotomy, venesection, venipuncture or venepuncture, blood draw) the term phlebotomy is widely used for the withdrawal of blood from a vein which is uncannulated. Phlebotomy arterial blood sample: Phlebotomy can be done from an uncannulated artery to collect oxygenated blood for blood oxygen-carbon dioxide analysis.

Phlebotomy: cannulated vessel - Phlebotomy is done from cannulated vessel for a blood sample from indwelling vascular catheter for various laboratory tests as a nursing intervention. Phlebotomy: blood unit acquisition - Phlebotomy for blood donors is carried out to collect blood and blood products to be used in blood transfusions as a nursing intervention from the Nursing Interventions Classification.

Goal of phlebotomy

Medical Treatment Polycythemia vera is a disorder in which the bone marrow produces excessive number of red cells, is characterized with elevated hematocrit. Phlebotomy treatment is the removal of blood from a vein in a manner similar to a blood donation. Another disorder called Hemochromatosis causes the body to absorb and store too much iron which builds up in the blood to very high levels. Treatment is done by phlebotomy which removes blood the same way it is drawn from donors at blood banks. Pulmonary Edema patients are treated by use of phlebotomy to decrease their total blood volume.

Phlebotomy as a pharmacologic option

Pharmacological drugs like morphine are used to decrease the liquid accumulated in lungs by accumulating blood in capacitance vessels in critical care.

Phlebotomy for identifying a disease

Phlebotomy is also used to remove blood from the body during blood donation and for analysis of the substances contained within it. The analysis of blood from patient can provide a vast amount of information to the physicians about the physical condition of the patient. The blood tests can be related to blood chemistry, hematology or immunohematology.

The two categories of blood tests are: screening or diagnostic. Blood tests can be used for pre-screening tool for suspected presence of a disease with very little evidence. Diagnostic testing is done to confirm the presence of a specific disease by laboratory testing.

Therapeutic drug monitoring

Pharmacologic drug levels in the blood of a patient are monitored at specific time intervals to evaluate the efficacy of the drug, by a division of clinical chemistry called therapeutic drug monitoring. The difference between the toxicity levels/side effect levels and efficacy level of the drug being monitored generally lies in very close range.

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