Which vein is your last choice for a venipuncture in the antecubital fossa?
basilic vein
Also found in the antecubital fossa, the basilic vein serves as a last resort for blood draws. It is not as close to the skin surface as the median cubital and cephalic veins, which poses a greater risk of damage to the median nerve and brachial artery.
Can you draw blood from the antecubital fossa?
The antecubital area of the arm is usually the first choice for routine venipuncture. This area contains the three vessels primarily used by the phlebotomist to obtain venous blood specimens: the median cubital, the cephalic and the basilic veins.
Which vein should you locate when palpating the antecubital fossa?
The optimal sites for blood draw are the veins in the antecubital fossa – the cephalic, median cubital and basilic veins – which is distal to the elbow joint (Warekois and Robinson 2015). These veins are near the surface of the skin as well as being large and well-anchored.
Which vein is best for drawing blood?
The median cubital vein is the first choice for blood draws because it has a decreased proximity to arteries and nerves in the arm. The more lateral cephalic vein is the second choice and the basilic vein in the medial arm is the last choice.
Which vein should be avoided for venipuncture?
Foot veins are a last resort because of the higher probability of complications. Certain areas are to be avoided when choosing a site: Extensive scars from burns and surgery – it is difficult to puncture the scar tissue and obtain a specimen.
When should you not perform venipuncture?
Certain areas are to be avoided when choosing a site:
- Extensive scars from burns and surgery – it is difficult to puncture the scar tissue and obtain a specimen.
- The upper extremity on the side of a previous mastectomy – test results may be affected because of lymphedema.
- Hematoma – may cause erroneous test results.
How do you know if a needle is in your vein?
(See illustration on following page.) Once you think you’re in a vein, pull the plunger back to see if blood comes into the syringe. If so, and the blood is dark red and slow moving, you know that you’ve hit a vein.
What is the difference between cubital fossa and antecubital fossa?
The cubital fossa is the triangular area on the anterior of the elbow. It is also called the elbow pit or antecubital fossa. It signifies is an area of transition between the anatomical arm and the forearm and can be recognized as a depression on the anterior surface of the elbow joint.
Which vein is the first choice for drawing blood?
Which veins should not be used for venipuncture?
The cephalic and basilic veins have a greater tendency to roll and veinpuncture may be more painful from these sites. Sometimes venipuncture is performed on hand veins when the veins in the antecubital fossa are not appropriate.
Where are the venipuncture sites of the cubital fossa?
The present study macroscopically and anatomically ascertained positional relationships between cutaneous nerves and veins in the cubital (aka antecubital) fossa in many cadaveric dissections to determine the risk of peripheral nerve injury during venipuncture. We identified the most suitable venipuncture site in the upper arm.
Where is the antecubital fossa on the arm?
Lesson Summary. The antecubital fossa is the shallow depression located in front of the median cubital vein of your arm. The median cubital vein joins the two longest vessels that run up the length of your arm, called the cephalic vein and the basilic vein.
Where does the median cubital vein join the cephalic vein?
The median cubital vein joins the two longest vessels that run up the length of your arm, called the cephalic vein and the basilic vein. Furthermore, the antecubital fossa is a main point of access for venipuncture, which could refer to either drawing blood or intravenous therapy, which is the administration of medication through a vein.
Where is the venipuncture located in the arm?
Venipuncture, or the act of puncturing a vein, can either take the form of intravenous therapy, meaning the administration of medication through a vein, or the drawing of blood out of a patient. Lesson Summary. The antecubital fossa is the shallow depression located in front of the median cubital vein of your arm.