Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 14, 2025
Rapid Fractionation and Isolation of Whole Blood Components in Samples Obtained from a Community-based Setting
Published on: November 30, 2015
Impact of a Modified Protocol for Blood Collection on Hemolysis Rates and Nurses' Perceptions About Improving Their
Jennifer Stanton Gordon1, Erin Niklinski1, Huong Do2
1Post Anesthesia Care Unit, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY.
Purpose:
In 2019, approximately 5% of blood draws in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) were hemolyzed compared to 1.1% across other hospital units. A preliminary review showed almost 60% of patients sampled blood employing arterial lines in the unit. The purpose of this quality improvement study was to improve blood drawing practices and reduce the occurrence of hemolysis. A secondary aim was for PACU nurses to lead this unit-based initiative.
Design:
Team members led by PACU nurses used the Deming model of quality improvement as a framework to better the process of specimen collection.
Methods:
The team employed the Plan-Do-Check-Act procedure to organize their improvement efforts. Specimen collection protocol was modified to include manual aspiration from arterial lines and hemolysis data was retrieved from laboratory generated reports and electronic medical records.
Findings:
By changing blood drawing practices, the hemolysis rate was significantly reduced from 5.2% to 3.6%. Two years postimplementation, rates continue to decline with the current rate at 1.97%.
Conclusion:
This nurse-led interdisciplinary improvement initiative identified and trialed evidence-based solutions to reduce blood specimen hemolysis.
More Related Videos
07:42Modified Blood Collection from Tail Veins of Non-anesthetized Mice with a Vacuum Blood Collection System and Eyeglass Magnifier
Published on: February 2, 2019
07:20Dried Blood Spot Collection of Health Biomarkers to Maximize Participation in Population Studies
Published on: January 28, 2014
