The Origin Of The Term Phlebotomy
The term phlebotomy comes from an ancient Greek and means “lancing the vein”. It refers to a practice that involves causing blood loss (blood taking) in order to achieve therapeutic goals. Phlebotomy is now synonymous with vein puncture, blood draw and phlebotomy. The terms phlebotomy, vein puncture and blood draw are all used interchangeably today.
Phlebotomists are the operators in the above situations. The relationship between ancient phlebotomy, and modern vein insertion is clear. Phlebotomy used to be a primary therapeutic tool to treat many diseases, but today it is the basis for diagnosing most known illnesses (Foreman 1996).
In order to maintain the right balance in “humor”, blood was taken from sick patients. By the Middle Ages barbers, surgeons, and other medical professionals were specialising in this bloody technique. This was because feudal authorities could order doctors to be executed for malpractice. In the early and mid-18th centuries, a number of techniques were used to increase the popularity of these practices. Most common was phlebotomy and venesection. Blood was drawn from large external veins in the forearm and neck. In arteriotomy a blood vessel is punctured. Usually, this occurs only at the temples. Scarification is the process of removing the “superficial vessels” using a lancet or glass cup filled with heated air to create a vacuum. Only at the turn of 20th century did the needle-and-syringe method of drawing blood become commonplace. (Seigworth 1980).
After removing a needle, blood samples were transferred into tube-shaped tubes. In the field of blood collection, the introduction of disposable tubes and needles was a significant advancement. These devices consist a of a vacuum tube with a stopper, a double-pointed syringe, and an adapter. This method of blood collection produces high-quality samples for lab testing. It also ensures greater safety for phlebotomists, since the patient’s own blood is directly injected into test tubes.
A retractable needle sheath is also available to allow the drawing of tubes in sequence, which prevents leakage. In spite of the fact that the use of disposable tubes and straight needles has improved the quality of the specimens collected, with both safety and practical advantages, several factors still influence the overall procedure of blood sample collection. There are many problems in the lab because it is hard to monitor all the variables that occur before the analysis, and this includes phlebotomy. The phlebotomy industry is quite diverse. In Germany and other German-speaking countries, only physicians have the right to draw venous/arterial blood. They receive training and supervision from their senior colleagues. In Britain, the phlebotomists follow a similar education to that of technicians. They are also partially supervised and trained by laboratory professionals.
A growing trend in laboratory testing is to consolidate the labs. This will lead to outsourcing of specimen collection and transport. Therefore, it’s expected that the decentralized phlebotomy procedure will gain more relevance (Bologna, 2002).
