Phlebotomy

Excerpt

Phlebotomy, which used to be known as bloodletting, has been used for centuries, with its origins traced back to Greece. It was used for both curative as well as preventative treatments. These practices at the time were neither regulated nor properly understood as it is in the 21st century. It was thought that any disease or sickness was due to an imbalance of various fluids in the body, and bloodletting would be a way of restoring that balance. As a result, the practice of bloodletting often led to poor clinical outcomes. A prime example was the death of George Washington (1st president of the United States), who died after losing blood as a treatment for acute epiglottitis.

Over time, phlebotomy has evolved to be an extremely crucial diagnostic as well as therapeutic solution. Today, phlebotomy is used constantly in clinical environments to increase the understanding of a patient's clinical presentation and concurrently improve the clinical outcomes of patients. The scope of this review will be to discover the modern understanding of what phlebotomy is, such as the best anatomical sites for drawing blood, equipment needed, and the proper technique. This review will also cover the indications and contraindications as well as any potential complications.