Can private NIPT clinics take blood from the back of the hand?

[NIPTqn]

I need to have a private NIPT but I’m worried because it’s very difficult to get blood from my arm. Experienced nurses only manage it about 25% of the time. I often have three staff ‘having a go’ every time I need to give blood.

It’s just occurred to me that the sonographers in private clinics may only be trained to take it from the arm. Can anyone confirm if this is the case?

As a health care professional when you’re trained to do cannulation , you can canulate or take bloods from any site . However , some nurses have a preference arms v hands . Me personally I avoid hands unless I have to as the veins have a tendency to move around more there

I also have very difficult veins in my arms. I had bloods taken via my hand at a fertility clinic but appreciate that might be a different set up.

they should be able to take blood from anywhere that has a decent looking vein.

Ah ok that’s reassuring. At my GP surgery, the phlebotomists aren’t trained to take it from the hand so they have to get a nurse to do it. So I was worried that was just how it was for all phlebotomists!

This is bullshit. The phlebotomists are picking and choosing to avoid patients with difficult veins.

Do you drink loads of water before you go? I only recently learned what a difference this makes to how easy it is to get blood from me!

I am exactly the same! From experience I would recommend never trying your foot. My body went into shock and I ended up being sick!

I am a HCP. Going against some pp, I am only trained to take bloods from veins in the arm. If you were hard to bleed I would need to send you to phlebotomy clinic.

I recently had a NIPT and the lady at the clinic did struggle to get blood from my arm (and I'm usually pretty easy!). One lot stopped half way so she had to go to the other arm. She was lovely but didn't seem very confident. I think if I were you I'd ring up and ask them ahead of your appointment. Hope it all goes well!

I’m exactly the same, a good 50% of the time I have to get it drawn through my hand. I was like a pincushion at the end of my last high risk pregnancy. There have been multiple occasions where I’ve had two, three HCPs “having a go”, which is always awful. Both clinics I went to with DD and DS for NIPT my blood was drawn by the consultant who did the scan, both got blood from my arm first time. The sample with DS was unusable as it got caught up in the Post Office strikes last year and was past use when it arrived at the lab, so I went back for a redraw. That was done by a very experienced nurse. She struggled initially but told me to chaffe my arm and wrap it up in my coat and then came back to me, that got her somewhere!

I got both mine done at private clinics rather than a sonogram place and actually my shitty veins are something I hadn’t even considered when deciding on that- but now you’ve outlined the issue it’s another plus point for going to a consultant staffed place rather than a private scan provider.

What I would recommend would be drinking plenty of water the night and morning before, make sure you’re really, really well hydrated- this has always helped me but I would often forget. Also keep as warm as you can, lots of warm layers.

If someone has completed a phlebotomy course, they should be aware of the theory, at least, in taking blood from the back hand. In practice though, this might be different. If 95% of the time they use the veins further up the arm with success, they will have less experience of the hand or elsewhere.
-Your dominate arm 'generally' has better veins than the other
-Keep your arms warm or run your arm/forearm under warm water at the clinic to increase blood supply before the test
-Drink plenty of water 1-2hrs before the testing
Best of luck OP.

Not everyone who takes bloods is trained to cannulate or take blood from the hand, it will vary on the person taking the bloods. It’s unfair to suggest practitioners avoiding patients with difficult veins are lazy as one poster suggested. Practitioners need to work within their capabilities. Your probably best just ringing the clinic to ask

No, it isn’t. It’s the policy of the GP practice. I’ve had the conversation with them, nurses, GPs and receptionists many times.

Plenty of fluids on the day and the day before, I put a heat pack on the crook of my arms and in my pockets, I make sure I keep warm by wearing a hat and coat until the last minute! 😁

I'm very similar! I've found 3 days no caffeine and upped water intake along with the heat pack etc has been a success for my last three times. Only one try on last two!

consultant staffed place rather than a private scan provider.

Hmm where would I find one of those privately - any clinic names? Mind you it needs to be done in the next few days so I don’t have much time to play with.

there is literally no difference sticking a needle in an arm vs a hand - it may be 'policy' that they can't but it is utter nonsense and there's not anatomical/physiological/sensible reason for it.

I’m in NI so my recommendation is probably of little use, but the first was a private fertility clinic and the second was a private women’s health clinic. There were also a number of obstetricians who do private work outside their NHS clinics who offered it.

It’s what you feel comfortable and confident doing as a practitioner. Many practitioners learn to take blood from the arm only when they are under supervision as a student and so don’t have any experience of taking blood from a hand. You can’t expect them to suddenly start doing something they’ve never or hardly done before.