Different Situations

• There are different size needles for different size patients and for different situations. Fingersticks are tiny needles meant for stick one of the four fingers; usually, this is done to get a glucose measurement in case of hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia.
  
  A vacuum or evacuated tube is inserted through the other end of the needle to collect the blood. Each tube has an absence of air to create a pulling mechanism to draw out blood.
  
  

Baby Needles

• Infants are most often administered venipuncture with one of the smallest needles, the butterfly needle. This needle is also given to patients with small, hard to find veins. Infants are also given something called a neonatal heel prick. Since the antecubital spot is so small on an infant a larger spot with more fat causes less pain to the infant.
  
  

Transfusion

• Phlebotomy also enables patients with a large loss of blood to obtain blood from other persons by transfusion. Persons who have been in major accidents, who have had diseases such as hemophilia, who have abnormal menstrual flow or who are pregnant all benefit from the practice of phlebotomy.
  
  

Lab Samples

• The taking of samples of blood help lab scientists study blood to find a cure for major diseases like cardiovascular disease, artherosclerosis, hemophilia or AIDS. In the laboratory, genes are also isolated and major hereditary disorders like sickle-cell anemia, ovarian cancer or color blindness have been found through the practice of phlebotomy.
  
  

Forensics

• Then there is the side of phlebotomy that leads to sorrow and justice. This phlebotomy field is in forensics, where criminal pathologists examine the blood spilled at crime scenes to determine the exact cause of injury and/or death. On the bright side, people who were found initially guilty were freed as innocent men and women because of DNA testing.