Field lab draws by ALS

[PRPGfirerescuetech]

Just polling for a general consensus...

Im hearing alot about hospitals no longer accepting prehospital lab draws. Some, are no longer accepting field IV starts (major big type hospitals)...

Are your area facilities doing this? If so, whats their reasoning?

[strippel]

We stopped many years ago. The hospital lab claimed CLIA regulations, and stopped accepting them. Having worked in the lab, I can see it, kinda. EMS not taught "proper" (hospital specific procedures) for blood draws. The biggest concern was labeling the specimens their way, and proper tube handling.

We also transport to many hospitals (2 close, and maybe 6 not so far away). To keep up with their specific rules would be a nightmare.

Our big hospital restarts all EMS IVs within 24 hours. They cite national trends in infection control.

[Ridryder 911]

We too have stopped in the field for field draws, still do for most lab's in the E.R. however. I agree, most of the decision is usually because of time (15 minutes) and now most labs use bar codes or hospital I.D. #'s to place into computer before running lab. One lab, that is usually never used is the type & screen or x-match, lab personal usually demand to draw that personally.

R/r 911

[Lithium]

We've never done lab draws in the field here ... at least not that I'm aware of. Quite honestly, I don't see the point, as the receiving physician will have specifics he'll want ordered, so why waste a rainbow of tubes if all they're gonna use is one?

peace

[AZCEP]

No blood draws, the hospital labs wouldn't use the sample we provided them, so we stopped on our own.

IV's have to be restarted within 24 hours, hospital starts are restarted after 72 hours.

[Scaramedic]

When I worked in Denver it was protocol to draw a rainbow when you administered meds. We would tape the tubes to the IV bag and when we got to the hospital the Nurse would throw them away. It was a total waste of time.

If there are any Denver area medics out there it would interesting to see if they still do it.

Peace,

Marty

:thumbleft:

[ptemt]

When I worked in Denver it was protocol to draw a rainbow when you administered meds. We would tape the tubes to the IV bag and when we got to the hospital the Nurse would throw them away. It was a total waste of time.

If there are any Denver area medics out there it would interesting to see if they still do it.

Peace,

Marty

:thumbleft:

I have seen paramedics draw the rainbow with and without administered meds. Have not yet seen them thrown away. I am a rookie Basic or basic Rookie.

[Yummymedic05]

We draw if we feel like it, the lab accepts. IF there is a MVA and the police think there's alcohol involved, they make you draw right then and there with them watching. And we learned what color tubes are for which specific labs, but why not just draw all of them just in case?

[akflightmedic]

For years in FL, we always drew labs and the hospital accepted them. We had the option of doing it or not but if it was a cardiac patient, we had to do it. Yes, it takes a while for troponins to elevate but it was nice to have a baseline right away.

What I don't like is how many of us think you just draw the rainbow in any order. I have asked many co workers and students what order to draw the blood in and they give me that blank stare. Just to test yourself for fun, how many of you know the correct order without looking it up? Don't cheat, admit it if you don't. I didn't for years but then I learned and changed my ways and YES it DOES matter what order they are drawn. Results can be skewed...

[TechMedic05]

For years in FL, we always drew labs and the hospital accepted them. We had the option of doing it or not but if it was a cardiac patient, we had to do it. Yes, it takes a while for troponins to elevate but it was nice to have a baseline right away.

What I don't like is how many of us think you just draw the rainbow in any order. I have asked many co workers and students what order to draw the blood in and they give me that blank stare. Just to test yourself for fun, how many of you know the correct order without looking it up? Don't cheat, admit it if you don't. I didn't for years but then I learned and changed my ways and YES it DOES matter what order they are drawn. Results can be skewed...

Yeah, but one hospital I used to frequent changed the order almost every month. It was literally ridiculous.

One hospital in the city accepts them, and there's a long protocol...But every time you bring them in, you need to explain to the RN that yes, the CMC does accept prehospital lab draws.

At my real job, its a bit more rural, and the community hospital expects labs on anyone that is or could be sick. Sometimes [more often, actually] they are somewhat angry if there aren't labs, because then they have to do it. Oh no!