Table of Contents
Why do nurses draw blood from veins and not arteries?
This is because arteries are deeper than veins. Arteries also have thicker walls and have more nerves. When the needle is inserted, there may be some discomfort or pain.
Is it bad to put an IV in an artery?
Complications of entering the artery with a large cannula intended for venous cannulation can result in complications such as temporary occlusion, pseudoaneurysm and haematoma formation. [6] Unrecognized arterial injection of anaesthetic drugs can cause tissue ischaemia and necrosis.
What is a general difference between arteries and veins?
Arteries and veins (also called blood vessels) are tubes of muscle that your blood flows through. Arteries carry blood away from the heart to the rest of the body. Veins push blood back to your heart. You have a complex system of connecting veins and arteries throughout your body.
Why is it important to anchor the vein?
Anchor 2 is most important to the phlebotomist during the blood draw. Anchor 2 maintains the device as steady as possible, which allows the phlebotomist to exchange one tube with another without the needle being inadvertently pulled from the arm.
Why do we put IVs in veins?
Intravenous (IV) cannulation is a technique in which a cannula is placed inside a vein to provide venous access. Venous access allows sampling of blood, as well as administration of fluids, medications, parenteral nutrition, chemotherapy, and blood products.
Why can’t you give meds in an artery?
Arterial lines are generally not used to administer medication, since many injectable drugs may lead to serious tissue damage and even require amputation of the limb if administered into an artery rather than a vein.
How do you tell the difference between a vein and an artery?
Your arteries are thicker and stretchier to be able to handle the higher pressure of blood moving through them. Your veins are thinner and less stretchy. This structure helps veins move higher amounts of blood over a longer time than arteries.
How do nurses insert syringes into blood vessels?
A minor technicality, but nurses don’t insert a syringe into a vessel, they insert a needle. The syringe is the hollow cylinder that has a plunger inside of it to create negative pressure when pulled back, drawing blood into the chamber.
Why is blood taken from the veins and not the arteries?
For blood sampling, blood is taken from veins and not arteries because: Veins are close to the surface of the skin. The walls of veins are thinner than arteries’. The blood pressure in veins is less than that in arteries.
What happens if you inject into an artery intra-arterially?
As well as requiring a high pressure (ie above systolic blood pressure) to inject intra-arterially, you can put easily put the artery into spasm by injecting into it. This can compromise the blood supply to the tissues supplied by the artery (usually the hand).
Why are vein drip injections used?
Veins are used because they are low pressure and low risk. You can’t administer a drip into a high pressure artery; the blood would back up into the tubing; in fact, there is enough pressure in just the radial artery to push a plunger up as it fills the syringe.