Monday, May 23, 2011

O, negative

I am working as a phlebotomist and donor processor at a plasma center at the moment, and just real quick, here is a great story of my first traumatizing experience.

I went out to the floor to do a set up and stick to help the phlebotomists the other day. (They were backed up.) I went out and did a great set up and stick, then someone asked me to do their stick, I went over and did it and he started flowing fantastically. I documented everything and set the chart down and his machine starts beeping, "No Flow." Beep....Beep. Ok, okay. I take the tape off the needle and push the needle in a little farther and he starts flowing fantastically again. I wait a second and then reach over to grab some new tape.

As I do so I accidentally pull the needle out of his arm and blood starts flowing everywhere! Holy cow! One hand has the needle and I'm holding it away from anyone, and my other is putting pressure on his arm. I can't reach the gauze pads or the machine, and I don't know what to do.

I call for help, and get it all taken care of and get a new needle and re-stick him in the other arm.

In the meantime blood has pooled all over the floor, my shoes, and is all over my lab coat.

Oops, sorry mister.

3 comments:

  1. Welcome to "I'm glad I'm not a pleb today." Starring Jesse Bramall.

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  2. Ouch! every time I have gone to donate blood it has been an aweful expeirience! Hence, I have only gone twice. The last time they stuck my right arm and somehow punctured it wrong and my arm started filling up with blood! Somehow they convinced me they could do my left arm with total ease. Something went wrong there and my blood started pooling on the ground! They stayed calm and wouldn't let me look cuz they knew I was on the verge of passing out. Some random guy accross from me started making small talk trying to distract me. They finally got it working and an hour later than I walked in a left with two sore arms and a huge bruise on one of them. The end.

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