Palko's Medical Laboratory Procedures 3rd Edition by Danielle Wilken, Phyllis Cox

Exercise 39

Assume that you are employed by a POL as a phlebotomist. An elderly patient has returned after a recent phlebotomy with a large bruise at the puncture site. She is very alarmed. Explain to her why a hematoma may occur after a venipuncture. What steps should have been taken to minimize the chance of a hematoma?

Explain to the patient that hematomas often occur when blood leaks from the vein into the outside tissue. Reassure her that it is not dangerous. Explain that hematomas may be the result of a difficult venipuncture, where the needle passes through the veins or where multiple punctures are made in the same vein.