In pediatric medicine, for screening and other purposes, it is important to know the appropriate amount of blood that can be drawn from a child depending on their age. The younger they are, the less their blood volume. In cases of newborn screening, if too much blood is drawn, there is a risk of losing an infant.
Topics: Pediatrics, Capillary Blood Sampling
Capillary finger-prick blood draws have gained popularity. This is partly in response to innovations in point of care testing and remote sampling. Capillary blood has distinct advantages in hospital labs, clinical labs, and in other circumstances requiring on-site sampling and other more traditional blood collection practices. An ongoing quest to streamline workflows and make them more efficient has led to a reconsideration of dried blood spot sampling.
Topics: Clinical Research, Clinical Trials, Dried Blood Spot Sampling, Pediatrics, Capillary Blood Sampling
Working with traditional wet blood specimens has always raised safety concerns and posed logistical challenges. Blood sample storage and cold chain shipping require navigating an increasingly complicated maze of regulatory issues. It's no wonder that dried blood spotting has emerged in the last few decades as a preferable alternative in many cases.
Topics: Dried Blood Spot Sampling, Capillary Blood Sampling, Blood Sample Transport / Storage
For decades, Dried Blood Spot (DBS) cards have served as a useful alternative to painful venipuncutre, cold chain shipping and storage, and other hassles of wet blood collection. However, they have come with their own problems that have sandbagged their widespread adoption.
Topics: Capillary Blood Sampling
Capillary blood sampling is becoming a common way to minimize the amount of blood drawn from a patient. The 10 or 20 microliters can be used to look for anemia, check blood sugar or even to evaluate thyroid function. The procedure is easier and less painful than traditional venipuncture which draws blood from a vein.
Topics: Capillary Blood Sampling
Pharmacokinetic (PK) studies investigate the absorption and movement of drugs within the body. Since children absorb and process drugs differently than adults do, PK studies have to be done on children to determine safe and effective doses.
