Effect of BD Vacutainer® UltraTouch™ Push Button Blood Collection Set (25G) on Pain Perception and Hemolysis - The First of Its Kind Evaluation in a Reference Laboratory Setup in India

BACKGROUND Laboratory and clinical data suggest that 70% of laboratory errors take place in the preanalytical phase and it is the most neglected part of the laboratory process. Needle phobia and hemolysis are the major problems in the preanalytical process. Complications during venipuncture due to pain-related needle phobia may lead to puncture of artery instead of the vein and in certain cases nerve damage, pain, numbness and thus resulting in unhappy patient experience and anxiety. Hence, the current evaluation focused on pain perception during venipuncture and the incidence of hemolysis. Objectives The current study intended to find out that the BD Vacutainer® UltraTouch™ push button blood collection set (25G) a) can improve the experience of blood draw in terms of pain perception, b) had insignificant effect on hemolysis in terms of potassium value, c) had insignificant impact on result variation for lactate dehydrogenase, aspirate aminotransferase, iron, cholesterol, creatinine, RBC (Red Blood Cell), haemoglobin (Hb), and platelet count compared to the current blood collection practice. METHODS The study was divided into three phases: Phase 1 – determining pain perception during blood collection with BD Vacutainer® UltraTouch™ push button blood collection set (UTPBBCS), Phase 2 – comparing potassium value between the blood samples taken with UTPBBCS and those using BD Vacutainer® Flashback Needle (FBN), Phase 3 – comparing lactate dehydrogenase, aspirate aminotransferase, iron, cholesterol, creatinine, RBC (Red Blood Cell), haemoglobin (Hb), and platelet count. RESULTS This study found that 91.67% of participants responded with nil to negligible pain and there was no evidence of hemolysis and the evaluated parameters (K+ - Potassium, lactate dehydrogenase, aspirate aminotransferase, iron, cholesterol, creatinine, RBC, haemoglobin, platelet count) were found to be consistent. CONCLUSIONS Phlebotomists found UTPBBCS to be a reliable device and well-received by the volunteers as it minimized pain. Also, there was no hemolysis due to the 25G needle. Therefore, UTPBBCS (25G) can be considered as less painful blood collection device due to a significantly better blood collection experience without compromising sample quality.