Who needs a therapeutic phlebotomy?

Emily Amy Antle1

  • 1University of New Mexico Cancer Center, Albuquerque, USA. eantle@salud.unm.edu

Many oncology practices treat patients with benign and malignant hematologic diagnoses. As a result, oncology nurses often are required to care for these patients. One common procedure nurses perform is therapeutic phlebotomy, where about 500 ml of blood is removed through a large-bore needle over 15-30 minutes. The procedure is ordered as a treatment for hereditary hemochromatosis, polycythemia vera, and secondary polycythemia. Before initiating the procedure, nurses must be aware of a patient's diagnosis, baseline hemoglobin, hematocrit, ferritin, and therapeutic end points. Reviewing these diagnoses will help nurses understand why phlebotomy is an important part of treatment.

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