Lab draws, redraws and use of IStat or Gem

Specialties NICU

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Specializes in NICU, Educ, IC, CM, EOC.

Looking for information on lab draws:

Does lab draw your specimens (excluding line draws, I assume!)?

What is your redraw rate?

Do you use IStat or Gem point of care testing, and if yes what are the positives and negatives?

What is your elevation (wondering if redraws correlate to increased elevation)?

Appreciate any responses!

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Specializes in L&D, OBED, NICU, Lactation.

I don't let the lab near my babies. They might be perfectly competent, but I'm territorial!

The only thing we've had to redraw lately has been platelets which were clumping. (come to find out we had a bad batch of tubes). Put in enough incident reports and Mahogany Row starts to pay attention.

I have used the iStat quite a bit and always enjoyed that you need such a small amount of blood. Often we would correlate the lytes on the iStat with a lab specimen the first time and then just use the iStat after that. Currently we don't have any thing like that in our unit and could really use it for gas draws which are sent to lab with prayers that they don't clot.

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Specializes in NICU, Educ, IC, CM, EOC.

Thanks, Nicuguy!

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The lab does not come into our NICU, we draw our own labs via heel stick or arterial line/broviac. If the baby has neither and needs more blood drawn than can come from a heel the MD or transport RN will do an art or venous stick

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Specializes in NICU.

We draw our own labs, line, venous or heelstick. We also have a Gem for blood gases. Some of our staff do art sticks if need be.

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Specializes in NICU, Educ, IC, CM, EOC.

Anyone know your rate of redraws?

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