Heart Biomarker Evaluation in Apnea Treatment

4.2.4 Venipuncture

4.2.4.1 Preparation of Participants for Phelbotomy

Informed consent must have been obtained before blood is drawn. It should be stressed that this study requires the voluntary cooperation of the participants. Although these people receive a small compensation for their time, participation in this study and blood donation is purely voluntary, with no reward other than the knowledge that they are contributing to progress in medicine. Thus, the whole experience must be made as pleasant as possible. Five tubes of blood of various sizes are collected, each containing about 1-2 teaspoons (5-10mLs) of blood.

Blood drawing is standardized for the sitting position. The venipuncture is performed with a 21 gauge butterfly needle with 12 inches of plastic tubing between the venipuncture site and the blood collection tubes. The butterfly has a small, thin walled needle that minimizes trauma to the skin and vein. The use of 12 inches of tubing allows tubes to be changed without any movement of the needle in the vein. The participant should be given enough time to feel comfortable both before and after the blood collection. The participant should spend at least 10 minutes in a supine or seated position before blood is drawn. In many cases the most memorable part of the experience for the participant will be the contact with the technicians who draw the blood and their general attitude and competence. DO NOT under any circumstances force the participant to have blood drawn.

Note that a local anesthetic can be used. Please check with your local research unit as to which preparation is available and for the local procedures in using this.