We avoid collecting blood from an arm that has an intravenous line, however this practice seems to rely on conventional wisdom, not data. Here is a question from Dennis Ernst, Center for Phlebotomy Education about collecting above a heparin line:
My CLSI committee is revising the venipuncture standard and is having trouble locating anything new on drawing above an IV in which heparin is being infused. We don’t recommend it, but leave it up to the facility to decide. I am not finding anything more recent than 1998 that addresses drawing above heparinized infusions. Shutting off the IV for two minutes is the current recommendation, but I’d like to cite something current. Have you seen anything?
Hi, Dennis. I’ve not seen any articles addressing this, I suspect we all simply assume that we should avoid collecting above an IV line or that we should stop the drip for a period of time. I’ve run a search and requested some generalized articles on blood collection requirements, but I suspect that these will be articles you’ve already seen. Perhaps our participants will have some suggestions.
Hi, Dennis,
Maybe this presentation would be helpful:
“
Hi, Dennis,
Maybe this presentation would be helpful:
“Mary Sue Dailey et al. Comparison of aPTT values from venipuncture and central venous access device specimens in hospitalized adult patients receiving continuous heparin infusions”
http://www.advocatehealth.com/documents/seminars/29_Comparison_aPTT_values.pdf