Abstract
Venipuncture has been reported to cause a variety of injuries and there are no sites at which venipuncture can be performed without the risk of nerve lesions. We investigated the sites, symptoms, and treatment of patients who visited our hospital due to venipuncture-induced neuropathy from 2007 to 2012. Sixteen patients (14 women; median age: 40 years) underwent neurological examinations for venipuncture-induced injuries. The puncture sites included the antecubital (68 %), cephalic (19 %), and superficial forearm veins (13 %). Pain occurred in 14 patients. The patients were treated with drug therapy in 13, intravenous lidocaine injections in 8, or nerve blocks in 5. Ten cases almost recovered completely. Medical experts should pay more attention to venipuncture-related nerve injuries, which can occur any site and should be treated immediately.
