Abstract
In general, nurses do not draw blood samples from the arm with an intravenous (IV) infusion line to avoid the risk of causing undesirable effects of IV fluids on the blood data. However, the mechanism of how an IV fluid affects blood samples that is collected from the arm with an IV line in place has not been clearly understood. This study intended to compare the blood data of samples collected from the sites proximal to and distal to the IV site with those of samples collected from sites on the other side of the body that was not affected by an IV line using male Japanese white rabbits. An electrolyte solution (Solita-T No. 3G) was infused into the left auricular vein by considering the auricle of the rabbit as the human upper limb, and blood samples were collected from sites proximal to and distal to the IV site on the left auricle and from the right auricular vein. The analytical results revealed that total protein, albumin, sodium, chloride, calcium, and magnesium levels for samples from the sites proximal to the IV site were significantly lower, and blood glucose and potassium were significantly higher than the results of samples from the right auricle. No significant differences were observed in any of the parameters tested between the data of samples from the sites distal to the IV site and from the right auricle, although certain degrees of effects were observed in some data in a limited manner. In conclusion, the study revealed sites proximal to the IV site on the same arm to be inappropriate for blood sampling, while suggesting the possibility of sites distal to the IV site as an appropriate choice of blood sampling sites.
