No More Needles? Drawing Blood from Saline Lock Devices

Does blood drawn from indwelling saline lock devices yield accurate lab test results? If so, this practice not only could improve patient comfort by decreasing need for venipuncture but also could decrease the risk of needle sticks for healthcare providers. To assess accuracy, these authors compared lab test results for blood drawn from saline lock devices and by standard venipuncture.

Each patient had two 5-mL blood samples drawn less than 5 minutes apart. The first was obtained using a 21-gauge butterfly needle and a Vacutainer device. The second was obtained from an indwelling saline lock device by the following technique: Infusion through the device was stopped for 2 minutes; a tourniquet was applied; then 5 mL of blood was drawn from th…