10 points to the first person who can sensibly answer this. What is the difference between a phlebotomist and?

Question

venisector? They both do exactly the same job so why the different names? - I know the answer!!

Answer 1

In common usage 'phlebotomist' and 'venesector' mean the same thing - someone whose job it is to take blood samples for testing. The first term is derived from Greek and the second term from Latin. The term venesection today also generally just means to take a blood sample but there are uncommon conditions like polycythaemia rubra vera and haemochromatosis where 'venesection' to remove a large volume of blood still has a therapeutic role in modern medicine. 'Venesection' in this latter context tends to be performed by doctors or nurses and not by phlebotomists/venesectors.

Answer 2

A phlebotomist is trained to take blood using the correct technique and the correct sample bottles for each particular test. A venesector is not the same as a phebotomist as they will insert an iv line to draw blood. Venesection is done to drain a certain amount of blood from someone who has abnormally high haemoglobin levels, and is done periodically.

Answer 3

Phlebotomists draw blood for testing. If you need blood work done, it is a phlebotomist who will stick the needle in your arm to get your blood for the tests.

Venisectors just cut open veins for "bleeding." This treatment is usually not done any more though. Leaches were also used for this process.

Answer 4

A phlebotomist is a certified technician who can be hired by a health care organization to obtain blood samples for laboratory evaluation. They maintain a professinonal licensure in the state in which they are employed.

"Venisection" is essentially a historical term that involves the ancient (and dubious) practice of "therapeutic" blood letting. Hundreds of years ago, the belief was that diseases were caused by a relative imbalance of the four "bodily humors," bile, black bile, phlegm and blood. Since there isn't really any difference between "black bile" and "bile" (bile that sits in the gallbladder long enough looks darker and is more concentrated), and because the only fluid of these that there was any ready access to was blood, most all treatments involved cutting into a vein and letting blood out, in an attemt to restore the balance of the humors.

This, of course, solved nothing, and once science entered the universe of medicine, other more efficacioius methods were found to treat disease. There is no professional certificate for venisection, and there is no hospital based job description of that sort, to my knowledge.

There are, however, several situations in which blood removal is therapeutic, and is still occasionally referred to as venisection. When necessary, this type of therapeutic blood removal is done or is supervised by doctors, nurses, specialized technicians or even certified phlebotomists.

One condition is called polycythemia rubra vera. This is a disease involving uncontrolled production of red blood cells. The concentration of red cells in the blood stream becomes dangerously high, and problems involving red cell sludging, clotting, and intravascular cell destruction results. Removing blood cell volume at timed intervals is often part of the treatment plan. This is a form of therapeutic phlebotomy, i.e., "venisection."

Another condition is called hemochromatosis. This is a secondary problem that results from a number of disease processes which tend to increase the rate of blood cell destruction. The result is the deposition of iron in many places where it shouldn't be. By therapeutic blood letting, the systemic iron stores can be depleted. Another option is something called chelation therapy in which the iron is chemically reacted out of the blood stream with specialized medicines and is subsequently lost in the urine.

Finally, in some situations that involve localized venous congestion such as after a finger is surgically re-implanted after trauma, there can be good in-flow of blood but relatively poor out-flow. The tissue engorges with blood and eventually cuts off its own in-flow, leading to tissue death. One treatment for this is to put leehces (yes, the slimy worms from the forest) onto the congested tissue, and let the leeches suck the blood out. This is a form of venisection. The leeches are grown in special conditions to minimize the bacteria.

I hope that answers your question. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me.

Answer 5

i know a phlebotomist takes blood but have never heard of a venisector - obviously from the question it's a person who takes blood. male or female versions perhaps. i have no idea!

Answer 6

I think that most folks are having a hard time with this question because the latter medical profession was spelled "venesector".
But the last fellow was right....One draws blood for lab testing and the latter profession dealt with blood letting in the old days.

Great question though....got us thinking.
Thanks

Answer 7

Don't know. Have been in the medical field for 18 years and have never heard the word venisector. I tried to look it up on the net and in my medical dictionaries here at work and fail to find the answer. It is not listed on the net or my research materials.

Answer 8

the first specialises in doing blood tests, the latter mostly blood letting through cut in vein. The word is used more commonly than phlebotomy in NZealand.

Answer 9

em think you may have misspelt this word
phlebotomist takes blood for further examination
the other is i think;;;;;;
Sample collection (venesector service); appropriate sample tubes; appropriate
laboratory instrumentation; range of tests; near-patient testing; sweat tests; use of
specialist metabolic laboratories.

Biochemical problems of the newborn

Surfactant; respiratory distress; blood gas monitoring.
Fluid balance disturbances.
Physiological and pathological jaundice; bilirubinometers.
Neonatal liver disease : metabolic causes.
Hypoglycaemia.
Disorders of calcium and phosphate homeostasis; metabolic bone disease of
prematurity.
Hypomagnesaemia.
Biochemical aspects of nutrition and parenteral nutrition.

Answer 10

same job but in different countries they are called different things and i,m not really bothered if i,m right or wrong