Blood collection in medical practice

Blood collection in medical practice, blood suckers many.

From mammals: Draculas in folklore, vampires or leeches attack at times, even mosquitoes.

There are in reality always medical vampires: students, researchers and doctors from our fellow humans, under the banner of therapy or diagnosis.

Blood letting, known before Hippocrates as removal of harmful tumours. Also believed in letting of demons, existed in some countries and

communities for the wrong reasons and without benefits. Medical history has many such stories.

Blood collection for medical practice: each doctor while on service after a clinical assessment of the patient, recommends blood tests

With or without reason, regularly and repeatedly or at intervals.

Blood collection for evaluation, very often and more, in intensive care wards in teaching institutions.

The ill effects on patients: anaemia and

infection influenced by the duration of hospitalisation.

Multiple pricks for blood collection are made to confirm illness or to make

a diagnosis, and to assess the status and progress.

But every now and then through different sites. Is this not an international

harm or an avoidable charm?

Blood collection practices need revision in all aspects:

Replacement of old methods, use of multichannel analysers

and small capillary samples.

Refrain from indiscriminate orders

And plan for a collection in appropriate tubes.

Oh, my dear vampires, assess in every case, the cumulative blood loss.

And decide this before an order, never, never routine ones.

Welcome research or thesis works, but all after discussion and rounds.

Blood collection is always more in multispeciality care.

Finalise the order after negotiation with the co- ordinator and take care in flushing lines to overcome blood loss.

Oh, my medical vampires, recall the quantity of blood loss per day

It seems to be litres in hospitals.

Patients lose more but receive less. Is it justifiable or warranted?

Let us be humane and judicious.