Sr. Lab Guy
20 Years Experience
San Bernardino, CA
Male, 52
For 6 years I was a Laboratory Technician in the Air Force Reserves, working all aspects of the laboratory as well as accomplishing "blood draws" (phlebotomy) in every imaginable setting (inpatient and outpatient). I have also worked in the private sector for hospitals, doctor offices, and clinical lab sites. This was my primary field for 20 total years (which began with the Air Force training). I've been in a new career for ten years, though I recall virtually all of my lab science.
Samir, this sounds like a very slow blood draw when using a multi-sample system (such as the BD Eclipse blood collection system). Most commonly this is caused by the tip of the needle not sitting well inside the vein. I'm going to presume that the tourniquet is tight enough (if it isn't, a fellow phlebotomist or a nurse can re-tighten it for you). You should gently and ever so slowly withdraw the needle a bit to allow better blood flow and if that doesn't work, ever so slowly push the needle in a tiny bit farther. Both of these methods are best done while, with your free hand, carefully pulling down on the skin (using your thumb) below the site, to help stabilize the vein. If that doesn't work, you can try redirecting the needle with caution. The risk here is the same as any "slow draw" incident: hemolysis and even blood clotting in the tube or needle before the draw is complete.
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Hi Umm, Sorry it took so long to answer your question, I had a family emergency near the beginning of the year. Ok, the short answer: a physician would be the one to ask this question because the over all answer would likely depend on your situation, activity levels, age, history, etc. The longer answer I will give is a generalization that could apply to anybody. Most of the tests you listed (except for "glycemia" - perhaps you meant glycohemoglobin?) would not be affected by a 16 hour fast from food and drink. In general, though, if you were severely dehydrated it is possible that your CBC could show a falsely elevated hemoglobin, meaning that if you are anemic, it could show that you are normal (as one example). Your urine could possibly show a higher myoglobin (if I remember correctly), meaning you are dehydrated. Overall, a 16 hour fast shouldn't affect lab results negatively. As for questions about your health during and after the fast, you would have to consult with a physician.
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Hi thanks for your question. My only experience with hair samples was collection. Testing is generally done at specialty labs. But an educated guess would be that any substance found in the hair sample (or any other sample) that clearly doesn't belong there is going to be reported to authorities and viewed with suspicion.
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Hi Vacation12, Thanks for your question. I'm going to attempt to answer this in two parts: 1) The "hissing noise" and 2) The "bubble". Firstly, that hissing sound. I can say that in 20 years of drawing blood I have only heard a hissing sound maybe twice during a blood draw, and both times were in the hand of a patient. The needles are very small, and the skin in the hands of many patients are quite fragile, so it is possible that the bevel (the machined inner incline) of the needle simply began to slip above the skin. As the collection tubes are vacuum tubes, they would thus be sucking up air and not blood. That would have been the noise you heard. This is the most likely scenario. It is possible, but unlikely, that the needle's attachment to the syringe or tubing was defective or not tight enough but again, that's fairly unlikely. As for the "bubble", at the moment the needle began to slip out of the vein, blood would have infiltrated the surrounding subcutaneous tissue causing a hematoma, or small blood blister. This is why the phlebotomist put extra pressure on the site to avoid an expansion of the "bubble" and to wait for the blood to begin clotting. Usually we suggested ice and ibuprofen for pain and swelling if required. The bruising usually goes away in about a week and doesn't normally cause problems. But beyond a week, or if the pain is severe and not abating within 24 hours you'll probably want to check with your doctor.
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Hi Curious, The values you list for creatinine are not what we normally see. The normal range for creatinine is around 0.6 to 1.2, so the numbers you list don't make sense. If your creatinine levels were truly 40 to 60, you'd be in serious trouble with your kidneys. Now, you might be referring to the GFR or Glomerular Filtration Rate. This is a specialized test, and my experience with it is limited to none. I did do a Google search for you, and it looks like a physician would have to interpret your results, if in fact it was a GFR. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.
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Hi Justin. Go ahead and ask away. I'll do my best.
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Hi thanks for your question, Quantitative analysis, or "How much"" of a substance, is usually done on blood samples in a regular laboratory. Forensic labs may be able to quantify other samples but I don't know if that includes hair. You could Google a forensic lab or your local coroners office for more info if you like.
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