PMLS-LAB
Phlebotomy Materials and Equipment
a) Sample Collection Trays or Carts
- Hold all necessary equipment.
- Classified into 2:
1. Hand held Carrier
- come in a variety of styles and
sizes designed.
- convenient for “stat” or
emergency situations or when
relatively few patients need
blood work.
2. Phlebotomy Carts
- made of stainless steel
- For several patients.
b) Cotton balls / Gauze Pads
- 2x2 inches gauze pads folded in
fourths.
- used for cleansing the site.
- hold pressure over the site following
blood collection procedures.
- According to CLSI, gauze pads are
more effective by the “back and forth”
direction.
c) Antiseptics
- Cleaning animate objects.
- Agents that are safe for skin or does
not cause irritation to the skin. Ex. Lysol
- Prevent or inhibit the growth and
development of microorganisms but do
not necessarily kill them.
- Antiseptics used in blood collection:
 70% Ethyl alcohol
 70% Isopropyl Alcohol
(Isopropanol) – most common
 Benzalkonium chloride (ex.
Zephiran chloride) – best
substitute for alcohols
 0.5% Chlorhexidine gluconate –
for allergic in alcohol
 Hydrogen Peroxide
 Povidone – iodine (0.1% - 1%
available iodine) – for blood
donation: Alcohol-Iodine-
Alcohol
 Tincture of Iodine
d) Gloves
- Required to use gloves by the Centers
for Disease Control / Healthcare
Infection Control Practices Advisory
Committee (CDC/HICPAC).
- Only use when puncturing the site
- Not necessarily in palpating the vein.
- Occupational Safe and Health
Administration (OSHA)
-The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) regulate gloves quality.
e) Tourniquet
- device that is applied or tied around a
patient’s arm prior to venepuncture to
restrict blood flow.
- Types:
1. Latex
2. Nitrile
3. Velcro (Quick-release)
- Should be place 3-4 inches or 3-4
fingers above the venepuncture site
- According to CLSI, tie it above the
clothes of the patients as long as the
site is not obscure.
- Only lasts about 1 minute in the arms
of the patient.
- Allow reflow of blood for 2 minutes.
- Gloves and pressure cuff (40mmhg)
can be alternative.
f) Arm Rest
- Placement of arm
- Ensures that the patient will be
comfortable without having to strain to
maintain a desired position.
- By applying hot compress to make the
vein prominent.
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g) Needles
- sterile
- disposable
- designed for:
1. Single use only
2. Multisample needles
- more blood needed
3. Hypodermic needles
- for syringe system
4. Winged infusion (butterfly)
needles
Parts of Needle
(Used with syringe system)
1. Bevel – slanting portion of the needle
2. Bore – hallow space
3. Shaft – middle portion
4. Hub – connected with syringe
**Gauge 24 and 25 are not advisable for blood
collection/ for small veins.
h) Gauge
- The higher the gauge, the smaller the
length of the needle.
- Indicated by a number that is related
to the diameter of the human.
- A needle’s diameter and gauge have
an inverse (opposite) relationship.
- Ex. Multisample
- light blue = Gauge 23
- green = Gauge 22
*higher gauge are for pediatric
patients.
i) Length
 multisample needles / two-way
needles
- 1 or 1.5 inches
 Syringe needles
-Come in many lengths;
however 1 and 1.5 inches
 Butterfly needles
- ½ to ¾ inch
j) Feather Lancet / Auto lancet
- Sterile, disposable, sharp-pointed or
blood instrument.
- 3.8mm size
- Punctures or makes an incision in the
skin.
- capillary blood specimens testing /
puncture
- single use / disposable

Used with Vacutainer System
Rubber Sleeve – protection / cover.
SYRINGE SYSTEM
 Principle: Pulling the plunger creates a
vacuum within the barrel. The vacuum
created while a needle is in the
patient’s veins fills the syringe with
blood.
 Parts of syringe:
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1. Graduated barrel while the other point punctures the

2. Plunger rubber stopper of the tube. The vacuum
present inside the table will be replaced
by blood when the needle is inside the
lumen of the vein.
 According to CLSI, it is the most
recommended in collection of blood.
INDICATION OF USE OF SYRINGE  Allow multiple collection of blood.
 Usage of syringe is very helpful when
the veins are very small / thin that tend 3 BASIC COMPONENTS OF EVACUATED
to collapse – pediatric / geriatric SYSTMEN:
patients. 1. Vacuum Tube
LIMITATION OF USE 2. Adopter/ Holder
 Need of transfer to tube / different 3. Needle
container.
 Too much pull to the plunger may cause i. Multisample needle
to the vein to collapse. - allows multipletubes of blood to
PARTS OF SYRINGE be collected during a single
1. Bevel – allows the needle to venepuncture
easily slip into the skin and vein - fixed to the tube
without coring ( removing a ii. Tube Holder
portion of the skin or vein ) - disposable cylinder
- Cut / slant - clear, plastic
2. Shaft – long cylindrical portion
3. Hub – end that attaches to the iii. Evacuated tube
blood collection device.
4. Bore – hallow space
- Internal space of the needle Winged Infusion Set ( Butterfly
5. Graduated Barrel – a cylinder System )
with graduated markings in  Indispensable tool for
either millilitres (mL) or cubic collecting from small or
centimeters (cc) difficult veins as it allows
6. Plunger – rod-like device that much more flexibility and
fits tightly into the barrel. precision than a needle and
7. Plastic hub – designed to fit syringe.
onto the barrel of the syringe.  Consists of:
- luerlock tip (spiral)  Stainless steel
**also called open system** needle
permanently
EVACUATED SYSTEM (Closed – System) connected to tubing
 Assembly allows one point of the  Luer attachment
needle to be inserted into the vein,
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 Plastic extensions
that resemble
butterfly wings
TUBES:
Additives – Substances that added to the tubes.
1. Antiglycolytic
- glucose utilization
- in order not to deteriorate
2. Anticoagulant
- substances that prevent from clogging
- EDTA (Purple Tube)
3. Clot Activator
- Enhances the clotting
- Hasten the clotting
4. Separator Gel
- Gel – Act as barrier that separates the
clot and the serum.
ORDER OF DRAW
 A special sequence of tube collection
that reduces the risk of:
 Additive carry- over
- occur when blood in an
additive tube touches the
needle during venepuncture or
during transfer from a syringe.
 Additive in the blood that is on
or within the needle can then
be transferred to the next tube
drawn or filled.
ORDER OF DRAW EXTRACTED TUBE AND
SYRINGE
1. Blood-culture tubes (yellow)
2. Coagulation sodium citrate tube (blue
stopper)
3. Serum tubes with or without clot
activator or gel separator
4. Heparin tubes with or without gel
(green stopper)
5. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid tubes
(lavender stopper)
6. Glycolytic inhibitor tubes (gray stopper)
MEMORY JOGGER FOR THE ORDER OF DRAW:
- Needle and sharps disposal Containers
 Clearly marked with a biohazard
symbol
 Puncture resistant
 Leak-proof
 Disposable
k) Adopter / Needle Holder
- Clear, plastic, disposable cylinder
- Small threaded opening at one end
(often also called a hub)
- Large end has flanges or extensions
l) Blood Transfer Device
- Allows the safe transfer of blood into
the tubes without using the syringe
needle or removing the tubes stopper.
m) Bandages / Micropore
- Adhesive bandages are used to cover a
blood collection site after the bleeding
has stopped.
- paper, cloth, or knitted tape placed
over a folded gauze square can also be
used.
- Self-adhesive gauze placed over the
gauze pad or cotton ball and wrapped
around the arm is being used
increasingly, especially for patients who
are allergic to adhesive bandages.
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- slides – posted-patient details venepuncture

- used to make blood films for on patients
hematology determinations. with normal
n) Pen veins or for
syringe blood
- label tubes and record other patient
culture
information. collection.
- not ballpen; sufficient and edible Used on older
permanent children and
o) Watch adult patients
- accurately determine specimen Multisample with small
22
hypodermic veins or for
collection tubes and time certain tests.
syringe draws
on difficult
Gauge Needle Type Typical Use veins.
Collection of Used on the
donor units, veins of infants
Special needle autologous and children
23 Butterfly
15-17 attached to blood and on difficult
collection bag donation, and or hand veins
therapeutic of adults.
phlebotomy.
Used primarily
as a transfer
needle rather
than for blood
18 Hypodermic collection,
safety issues
have
diminished
use.
Sometimes
used when
large-volume
tubes are
collected or
Multisample
20 large-volume
hypodermic
syringes are
used on
patients with
normal-size
veins.
Considered the
standard
Multisample
21 venepuncture
hypodermic
needle for
routine