A question for phlebotomists how do you handle a difficult draw with a child.?

Question

I'm curious. I had a friend tell me that their grandchild had to have blood drawn & they were six or so & the child had to be held down & wouldn't stop moving. Isn't that dangerous? Is there ever a time when a phlebotomist says they refuse to try & take blood like that.

I don't understand how it can be medically safe to attempt to draw blood from a patient who refuses to stay still.

Interesting. I hadn't heard about the tying them down on a board method. No one has addressed my question if you're using a needle in a vein and a child or adult doesn't or won't stay still it's dangerous.

Answer 1

When my son needed to have blood drawn and they wanted more than one vial, they 'tied him onto a board similar to the boards some Native Americans used to carry their children on (tied to an adult's back in the past) ... the blood draw was EASY and my son was so FASCINATED with the board and the explanation that the 'blood draw' was EASY. Most lab techs have these boards, and most pediatricians can get hold of them ... but a phelbotomist is the 'doctor' who treats 'blood conditions' and they may use some completely different way to 'draw blood' ... although I doubt that.

Answer 2

As a phlebotomist many years ago, and a pediatric PA for many years and then an ER one, you learn many, many tricks for kids, the mentally ill, the confused elderly etc. There are many cases where a child will NOT be still (and the parents are completely ineffective at control) and bypassing to do the job is not an option. You pull out your entire skill set. As one respondent mentioned; the papoose board is one way. Another is having a very experienced nurse hold the child; using a tiny butterfly and being fully able to hit the vein. Also, the "cape" from a pillow works well as well. Sometimes you do what you gotta do.

Answer 3

Tell your child to wiggle their toes while the procedure is being performed. They will be concentrating on that action instead of the "needle." When given an injection in your hip, wiggle your toes and the involuntary muscle tightening is avoided, thus the shot is less painful. It works! I've tried it.

Answer 4

You are not supposed to limit your question to any particular person or group. You are here to ask questions (good or not), and we are here to answer them (likewise, good or not!). Besides, would you blindly accept that any respondent - - a total stranger - - is who you want them to be??? (if so, I own the Brooklyn Bridge, and do I have a DEAL for you!!!) ;)

Now on to the question at hand:

Some kids simply won't hold still, whether it's for a doctor, nurse, dentist, restaurant (!), visiting friends/relatives, etc. In the case of the doctor's office, it's up to the parents to control their children, usually simply by telling the child that he/she must cooperate with the doctor and "be brave"; it would have helped to explain to the child in advance what was likely to happen. Of course, bribes such as getting lunch at their favorite eatery or getting ice cream, etc, is usually a big help!

If your doctor and staff have to resort to restraining the child, you shouldn't be surprised that the child has a negative reaction to it, vis-a-vis, screaming like a banshee long before the needle has even reached its target! Of course, some doctors are smart enough not to involve themselves with such harsh treatment, as it could traumatize the child, thus making him/her react even more severely, next time, and/or open up a potential lawsuit (meritless, unless, of course, genuine malpractice is involved, which is awfully hard to prove).

It is not a question as to whether restraining a child to draw blood is "medically safe", as much as it is a question of doing what's good for the child (it goes without saying that a diabetic child needs to have blood drawn, with or without urine samples).

And, generally speaking, the only "danger" is to your child's psyche, which, again, comes down to the parent, not the doctor. Parents need to communicate with and control their kids, regardless of the venue or situation.

Don't pass the buck, and don't listen to hearsay and gossip.

'Nuff said?