What is Phlebotomy?

Plebotomy is the practice of drawing blood. The word is derived from the Greek words phlebo (meaning vein) and tomy (meaning to make a cut). It is an ancient profession dating back 3,500 years to the time of the Egyptians. In Europe in the Middle Ages barber-surgeons performed phlebotomy to cure illnesses. The familiar red and white lines on a barber's pole date from this period and signify blood bandages.

Modern phlebotomy shares little more than a name with these ancient practices. Today phlebotomy is performed primarily to diagnose and monitor a patient's condition and involves highly developed and rigorously tested procedures and equipment to ensure the the safety and comfort of the patient and the integrity of the sample collected

How is blood collected?

The phlebotomy team at BCH provide both a venous and capillary blood collection service to inpatient and outpatient services at the hospital, as well as to GPs and other hospitals. A team of seven experienced phlebotomists supported by a qualified phlebotomy supervisor delivers the service.

Blood is collected in two ways either by a capillary sample or by venepuncture. A capillary sample involves a finger or heel prick whilst a venepuncture involves inserting a small butterfly needle into a vein in the crook of the elbow or into the back of the hand. The type and number of tests requested, the total volume of blood required, where it can be taken from and also how willing the child is to be bled all determine which sample is taken. A heel prick capillary sample is usually taken in babies under one year of age.

In exceptional cases we can use an anaesthetic cream (Ametop Magic Cream) which is applied to the skin. It numbs the skin so that the child does not feel the needle however it is not effective in all cases and it can have side effects such as redness, itching and swelling of the skin and in very rare cases blistering. It is applied 30-45 minutes before the sample is taken and is not used on newborn babies.