# Taking blood **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 7, 2001, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-blood/75337 "2001-08-07T19:48:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JamesCarroll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@JamesCarroll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JamesCarroll)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2001, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-blood/75337/1 "2001-08-07T19:48:28Z")
You know when they take blood with those “reusable” needles? Not that the needle is reused, but they stick you once then switch out the glass part several times. Are those glass parts vacuumed? The blood seems to really ‘squirt’ into them and they don’t seem to have a problem with air being displaced. Just wondering. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2001, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-blood/75337/2 "2001-08-07T20:30:14Z")
Yes, we called them vacutainer tubes, last I used them. Many types also contain EDTA or other anticoagulates. -Beeblebrox * * * “I am so amazingly cool you could keep a side of meat in me for a month. I am so hip I have difficulty seeing over my pelvis.” ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2001, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-blood/75337/3 "2001-08-07T20:32:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JamesCarroll \* > \*\*You know when they take blood with those “reusable” needles? Not that the needle is reused, but they stick you once then switch out the glass part several times. > > Are those glass parts vacuumed? The blood seems to really ‘squirt’ into them and they don’t seem to have a problem with air being displaced. > > Just wondering. \*\* They are. The brand name for one manufacturer, [Becton Dickenson](http://www.bd.com/vacutainer/) is Vacutainer. Robin Counting down the minutes before I get my own blood sucked, I mean, drawn. ---
**Author:** ![JamesCarroll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@JamesCarroll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JamesCarroll)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2001, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-blood/75337/4 "2001-08-08T21:14:42Z")
Thanks for the info. ---
**Author:** ![Neurodoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/848f3c/32.png) [@Neurodoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurodoc)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-blood/75337/5 "2001-08-09T07:12:52Z")
And you should know that most of these tubes are not sterile on the inside. It is important to avoid reflux of blood back into the vein. This is why the tournequet is released before the blood draw is complete, and the arm must not be raised…otherwise backflow may occur. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2001, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-blood/75337/6 "2001-08-10T00:35:16Z")
Ummm… **All** the vacutainer blood collection tubes used at our facility are sterile. Lavender top, gray, red, blue, speckled red/green, red/gray, etc., all of them. And we use the standard collection tubes like every other hospital I’ve ever been in. Could be you might not want the additive inside some of the tubes to flow out, but they’re very small amounts. I’ve never heard of this doing any harm to anyone. The tourniquet has to be released before you withdraw the needle or else you get a nice blood trail oozing out down the patient’s arm. This doesn’t make them very happy. (I only did it once, I swear.) ---
**Author:** ![labdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5fc32e/32.png) [@labdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labdude)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2001, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-blood/75337/7 "2001-08-10T01:31:25Z")
the tubes are sterile!! ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2001, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-blood/75337/8 "2001-08-10T01:35:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by labdude \* > \*\*the tubes are sterile!! \*\* yep, sorry **neurodoc** , but it would be pretty pointless otherwise, wouldn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Neurodoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/848f3c/32.png) [@Neurodoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurodoc)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2001, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-blood/75337/9 "2001-08-10T02:34:53Z")
The inside of most of these collection tubes are NOT guaranteed to be sterile, and the recommendations to avoid reflux during collection are primarilly because of that fact. Even the Merck Manual mentions this fact in their Hematology section. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2001, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-blood/75337/10 "2001-08-10T02:48:54Z")
Ben out of the business for awhile. Cite? Merk link? ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2001, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-blood/75337/11 "2001-08-10T03:06:10Z")
All our tubes used with the vacutainer system are Monoject brand and they all have “Sterile” imprinted upon the label. I’m inches away from a pile of them as I type. 'Scuse me. I just checked supplies and it appears we use three different types- Monoject, Corvac and Vacutainer. But all the boxes and apparently all the tubes (I didn’t look at each one) are labeled **Sterile**. And as some of them are used for blood cultures they better not be lying to us. ---
**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2001, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-blood/75337/12 "2001-08-10T03:08:37Z")
not that I am one to argue with the merrick manu. but I cannot believe that anyone would package anything for IV use that is not Sterile ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2001, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-blood/75337/13 "2001-08-10T07:39:26Z")
Well, oddly enough the Merck does say that. Color me very surprised. [Here’s the online version.](http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual/section11/chapter127/127a.htm) All I can say is that this information seems pretty out-of-date as neither I nor any Medical Technologist I know have used, or seen for that matter, blood collection tubes that weren’t sterilized. For what it’s worth, in my case that means for the past eleven years. Guess you can’t believe everything in print.