What it means
It may be a venipunctureVEN-ih-punk-cherPutting a needle into a vein to draw blood or start an IV.ven/o veinpuncture to pierceFull entry site, an artery used for an arterial blood gasar-TEER-ee-ul BLUD GASA blood test from an artery that measures oxygen, carbon dioxide, bicarbonate and the blood's pH.Full entry or a heart catheterization, the lower back after a lumbar punctureLUM-bar PUNK-cherA procedure in which a needle is put between two bones in the lower back to take out spinal fluid or give medicine; a spinal tap.lumb/o lower backpuncture piercingFull entry , or an injection site. The main risks are bleeding, a hematomahee-muh-TOH-muhA collection of blood, often clotted, that has leaked out of the blood vessels into the tissue.hem/o blood (here as hemat-)-oma swelling or massFull entry (a pocket of blood under the skin) and infection.
For the nurse
Hold pressure after removing the needle: longer after an arterial puncture (at least 5 minutes) and for clients on anticoagulants. After an arterial procedure, check the site, the pulses below it and the limb's color, warmth and feeling as ordered, and report bleeding or swelling.
At a glance
| Also written | puncture sites |
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Related terms
arterial blood gas
A blood test from an artery that measures oxygen, carbon dioxide, bicarbonate and the blood's pH.
hematoma
A collection of blood, often clotted, that has leaked out of the blood vessels into the tissue.
venipuncture
Putting a needle into a vein to draw blood or start an IV.
lumbar puncture
A procedure in which a needle is put between two bones in the lower back to take out spinal fluid or give medicine; a spinal tap.
cardiac catheterization
A procedure in which a thin tube is threaded through a blood vessel into the heart to take pictures, measure pressures or open blocked arteries.