Picture Tutorial Phlebotomy Equipment

Instructions: The laboratory practical will have pictures of the equipment we have used in the student laboratory this semester. Study for the practical by covering the caption and stating the name and use of the different items listed below.


Microtainers are a type of microcollecion tube used to collec blood from a skin puncture (heel or finger). Collecting this type of sample should be considered for patients who are difficult draws such as elderly patients with fragile veins, infants, small children adn other patients with difficult veins. This can only be done for tests which can be performed on small quantities of blood.


The BD Eclipse is a multi-sample vacuum collectiion needle with a safety device attached. This is used for venipuncture using the vacuum tube collection system. When the procedure is complete the safety device is activated with the thumb.

The Unopette test system has a self-filling capillary pipette consisting of a straight, thin-wall, uniform-bore plastic capillary tube fitted into a plastic holder and a plastic reservoir containing a pre-measured volume of reagent for diluting. Blood can be collected from a skin puncture for tests such as platelet counts, hemoglobin determinations, and WBC and RBC counts.

The portex needle pro is a needle safety device used with the vacuum blood collection system. The device is activated by pressing it against a hard surface to permanently cover the needle.


Microhematocrit tubes are used for collecting blood for the hematocrit test. Color coding is as follows: red - heparin, green - heparin, and blue - no additve.


Erythrocyte Sedimentation rate (ESR) tube. The blood is diluted then drawn up into the ESR tube. This test is used to monitor patients for inflammation and/or necrosis.

Multi-sample blood collection needle. This device has TWO needles. The needle is screwed into the holder. One needle is inserted into the vein, the vacuum blood collection tube is inserted into the holder and is puctured by a needle on the opposite end. The rubber sheath allows multiple tubes of blood to be collected and covers the needle in between tube changes so blood does not collect in the holder.


Safety tranfer devices are used to protect the phlebotomist from an accidental needle stick when transferring blood from a syringe to the vacuum tubes. The syringe is attached to the device at the top and the tubes are then inserted into the holder just as in a vacuum blood collection using a multi-sample needle.

These three tubes of blood represent icterus, lipemia and hemolysis. The sample on the left is very icteric indicating a high level of bilirubin due to some type of liver damage. Icteric samples are bright yellow in color. The center picture is lipemic. Lipemia (fats in the blood) indicates the patient is in a non-fasting state OR may have hereditary lipidemia. The picture on the right indicates hemolysis. Hemolysis is most commonly due to the red blood cells rupturing due to a tramatic draw, ie, pulling too hard on the plunger of the syringe, drawing blood through a needle that is too small, or blood being forcefully pulled into a tube.

This picture illustrates the bleeding time which is used to diagnose problems in coagulation. It is a measure of platelet number, platelet function and capillary integrity.


Transfer pipets are used to transfer serum or plasma into other tubes for testing. The transfer tube must be properly labeled BEFORE placing the sample in it from the original tube.


These cards are used for the fecal occult blood test which is utilized to detect blood in the stool.


A syringe is used for the collection of blood from patients with small or fragile veins.


These needles are used with the syringe to collect blood from patients with small or fragile veins.


Urine dipsticks are used for the chemical examination of urine.


Butterfly (winged infusion set) needles are used to draw blood from patients with small or fragile veins.


Blood culture bottles - used to collect blood from patients suspected of having septicemia or bacteremia.


Lancets are used to perform capillary punctures on the finger or heel.


Tourniquets are used to occlude venous blood flow to make the veins more prominent.

Pictorial Review for Phlebotomy Practicum