title: Blood collection from intravenous lines: is one drawing site better than others?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Establish whether hemolysis in samples collected from intravenous lines is influenced by catheterization site.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood was collected from all patients (67 total) admitted to the emergency department the same morning, through a 20-gauge catheter placed in a vein of the upper limb directly into an evacuated blood tube. Serum was tested for hemolysis index by multi-wavelength photometric readings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The frequency of hemolyzed specimens was 30% (20/67). Hemolysis rate in median cephalic and basilic veins (17%) was comparable to that of median anterobrachial vein but lower than cephalic vein (29%; P = 0.01), basilic vein (33%; P < 0.01), and metacarpal plexus veins (75%; P < 0.01). Compared with median basilic and cephalic veins, the relative risk of hemolysis was 1.4 from median anterobrachial vein, 1.6 from cephalic vein, 1.9 from basilic vein, and 4.3 from metacarpal plexus veins.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Drawing blood from catheters placed distally from median veins carries higher hemolysis risk.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lippi
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Avanzini
authors.forename: Rosalia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aloe
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cervellin
mesh_terms: D002408:Catheters, Indwelling; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006461:Hemolysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009928:Organ Specificity; D018962:Phlebotomy / Q000592:standards*; D014680:Veins