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General Assessment and Vital Signs samer kareem 6,620 Views • 2 years ago

The examination room should be quiet, warm and well lit. After you have finished interviewing the patient, provide them with a gown (a.k.a. "Johnny") and leave the room (or draw a separating curtain) while they change. Instruct them to remove all of their clothing (except for briefs) and put on the gown so that the opening is in the rear. Occasionally, patient's will end up using them as ponchos, capes or in other creative ways. While this may make for a more attractive ensemble it will also, unfortunately, interfere with your ability to perform an examination! Prior to measuring vital signs, the patient should have had the opportunity to sit for approximately five minutes so that the values are not affected by the exertion required to walk to the exam room. All measurements are made while the patient is seated. Observation: Before diving in, take a minute or so to look at the patient in their entirety, making your observations, if possible, from an out-of-the way perch. Does the patient seem anxious, in pain, upset? What about their dress and hygiene? Remember, the exam begins as soon as you lay eyes on the patient. Temperature: This is generally obtained using an oral thermometer that provides a digital reading when the sensor is placed under the patient's tongue. As most exam rooms do not have thermometers, it is not necessary to repeat this measurement unless, of course, the recorded value seems discordant with the patient's clinical condition (e.g. they feel hot but reportedly have no fever or vice versa). Depending on the bias of a particular institution, temperature is measured in either Celcius or Farenheit, with a fever defined as greater than 38-38.5 C or 101-101.5 F. Rectal temperatures, which most closely reflect internal or core values, are approximately 1 degree F higher than those obtained orally. Respiratory Rate: Respirations are recorded as breaths per minute. They should be counted for at least 30 seconds as the total number of breaths in a 15 second period is rather small and any miscounting can result in rather large errors when multiplied by 4. Try to do this as surreptitiously as possible so that the patient does not consciously alter their rate of breathing. This can be done by observing the rise and fall of the patient's hospital gown while you appear to be taking their pulse. Normal is between 12 and 20. In general, this measurement offers no relevant information for the routine examination. However, particularly in the setting of cardio-pulmonary illness, it can be a very reliable marker of disease activity. Pulse: This can be measured at any place where there is a large artery (e.g. carotid, femoral, or simply by listening over the heart), though for the sake of convenience it is generally done by palpating the radial impulse. You may find it helpful to feel both radial arteries simultaneously, doubling the sensory input and helping to insure the accuracy of your measurements. Place the tips of your index and middle fingers just proximal to the patients wrist on the thumb side, orienting them so that they are both over the length of the vessel.

Venipuncture: Butterfly Method Mohamed Ibrahim 27,035 Views • 2 years ago

What is Venipuncture? While venipuncture can refer to a variety of procedures, including the insertion of IV tubes into a vein for the direct application of medicine to the blood stream, in phlebotomy venipuncture refers primarily to using a needle to create a blood evacuation point. As a phlebotomist, you must be prepared to perform venipuncture procedures on adults, children, and even infants while maintaining a supportive demeanor and procedural accuracy. Using a variety of blood extraction tools, you must be prepared to respond to numerous complications in order to minimize the risk to the patient while still drawing a clean sample. In its entirety, venipuncture includes every step in a blood draw procedure—from patient identification to puncturing the vein to labeling the sample. Patient information, needle placement, and emotional environment all play a part in the collection of a blood sample, and it's the fine details that can mean the difference between a definite result and a false positive. After placing the tourniquet and finding the vein, it's time for the phlebotomist to make the complex choice on what procedure will best suit the specific situation. Keeping this in mind, it should be noted that the following information is not an instructional guide on how to perform these phlebotomy procedures. Rather, the information below is intended to serve as an educational resource to inform you of the equipment and procedures you will use. Venipuncture Technqiues Venipuncture with an Evacuated or Vacuum Tube: This is the standard procedure for venipuncture testing. Using a needle and sheath system, this procedure allows multiple sample tubes to be filled through a single puncture. This procedure is ideal for reducing trauma to patients. After drawing the blood, the phlebotomist must make sure the test stopper is correctly coded and doesn't contact exposed blood between samples. Venipuncture with a Butterfly Needle : This is a specialized procedure that utilizes a flexible, butterfly needle adaptor. A butterfly needle has two plastic wings (one on either side of the needle) and is connected to a flexible tube, which is then attached to a reservoir for the blood. Due to the small gauge of the needle and the flexibility of the tube, this procedure is used most often in pediatric care, where the patients tend to have smaller veins and are more likely to move around during the procedure. After being inserted into a vein at a shallow angle, the butterfly needle is held in place by the wings, which allow the phlebotomist to grasp the needle very close to the skin. Phlebotomists should be careful to watch for blood clots in the flexible tubing. Venipuncture with a Syringe: This technique is typically only used when there is a supply shortage, or when a technician thinks it is the appropriate method. It uses the classic needle, tube, and plunger system, operating in a similar manner to the vacuum tube but requiring multiple punctures for multiple samples. Additionally, after the blood is drawn it must be transferred to the appropriate vacuum tube for testing purposes. If you choose to use this method, remember to check for a sterile seal, and use a safety device when transferring the sample. Fingerstick (or Fingerprick): This procedure uses a medical lance to make a small incision in the upper capillaries of a patient's finger in order to collect a tiny blood sample. It is typically used to test glucose and insulin levels. When performing a Fingerstick, the phlebotomist should remember to lance the third or fourth finger on the non-dominant arm. Never lance the tip or the center of the finger pad; instead, lance perpendicular to the fingerprint lines. Heelstick (or Heelprick): Similar to the Fingerstick procedure, this process is used on infants under six months of age. A medical lance is used to create a small incision on the side of an infant's heel in order to collect small amounts of blood for screening. As with a Fingerstick, the incision should be made perpendicular to the heel lines, and it should be made far enough to the left or right side of the heel to avoid patient agitation. Before performing a Heelstick, the infant's heel should be warmed to about 42 degrees Celsius in order to stimulate capillary blood and gas flow. Therapeutic Phlebotomy: This involves the actual letting of blood in order to relieve chemical and pressure imbalances within the blood stream. Making use of a butterfly needle, this therapy provides a slow removal of up to one pint of blood. Though the blood removed is not used for blood transfusions, the procedure and concerns are the same as with routine blood donation. As with any phlebotomy procedure, one should pay close attention to the patient in order to prevent a blood overdraw. Bleeding Time: A simple diagnostic test that is used to determine abnormalities in blood clotting and platelet production. A shallow laceration is made, followed by sterile swabbing of the wound every 30 seconds until the bleeding stops. Average bleed times range between one and nine minutes. As a phlebotomist, you should familiarize yourself with the application and cross-application of these procedures in order to recognize when a procedure is necessary, and what the risks are for each.

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