Objective: To determine the usefulness of peripheral intravenous lines as an alternative route for obtaining blood samples.
Design: Quasiexperimental.
Setting: Wilford Hall Medical Center, a regional level I trauma center and military teaching hospital in San Antonio, Tex.
Sample: A convenience sample of 64 subjects was enrolled between September 1997 and June 1998.
Outcome measures: Comparative analysis of a complete blood count and chemistry, using the patients as their own control, on the same Coulter Analyzer and Boelrringer Mannheim/Hitachi 747-200.
Results: A total of 559 values were evaluated. Only 2.5% of the specimens exceeded the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act standards. None of the values was clinically significant.
Conclusion: Intravenous devices, if used properly, are reliable tools for blood specimen collection. They yield accurate analyte levels that may used in the treatment of patients.