Is a blood sample an assault?
Strictly speaking, a blood sample represents a physical injury. It may therefore only be taken with the patient’s information and subsequent consent. If the patient is no longer able to give his or her consent, it is possible, for example in the event of a serious accident, to act according to the presumed will of the patient and the blood sample can still be taken.
Taking blood samples from children – these are the special features
In principle, blood samples from children are taken in the same way as for adults. However, there are some special features. Sometimes it is possible to take a capillary blood sample from children instead of a venous one.
For this purpose, the skin of small children is punctured at the heel and the finger of larger children and the blood is collected. There are special needles for venous blood collection in children which have a much smaller diameter than the needles for adults. If children are particularly anxious or a difficult puncture is to be feared, the skin above the puncture site can be slightly anaesthetised with an Emla patch.
This patch should be applied about 15 minutes before the blood sample is taken. The veins on the head are often suitable for taking blood samples, especially in babies. This looks very brutal for the parents, but may be less painful for the child than in other places.
In addition, the veins on the head are clearly visible and accessible for the puncture. During the actual blood collection, children often have to be held in place. This usually bothers them more than the actual pain during the puncture. It is important here to calm the children and also to position the parents close to the child.
Blood collection for bad veins
Many patients hear that they have bad veins during a visit to the doctor. There are several reasons for this. Older people in particular often have veins that are not immediately visible to the doctor, either because of cold extremities or because the veins are deeper in the skin.
Another reason for bad veins are so-called rolling veins, which roll away during the puncture. If the veins are bad, it is still possible to take a blood sample. A tourniquet should be used to visualise the veins and if your hands are very cold, it can help to wash them with warm water beforehand.
Good lighting conditions should also be ensured. The puncture site for blood collection should be carefully selected before a puncture is made. Here it is often true that a palpable vein may be more suitable than a clearly visible vein. If the patient has rolling veins, it may be helpful to tighten the skin over the vein to prevent it from rolling away as much as possible.