Manual of basic techniques for a health laboratory - libdoc.who.int

270 Manual of basic techniques for a health laboratoryFig. 9.18 Filling the syringe with bloodFig. 9.19 Withdrawing the needle14. Ask the patient to press firmly on the cotton wool swab for 3 minutes, keepingthe arm outstretched (Fig. 9.20(a)). Bending the arm back over the swab (Fig.9.20(b)) is not recommended (because of the risk of a haematoma).15. Remove the needle from the syringe.Fill the specimen tubes or bottles with the blood up to the mark (Fig. 9.21).Immediately invert the tubes or bottles that contain anticoagulant several times.16. Label the tubes or bottles clearly with:— the patient’s name— the date— the patient’s outpatient or hospital number if this is available.Rinse the needle and syringe at once with cold water, then rinse in disinfectant (seesection 3.5.4).Place the rinsed needles and syringes in small glass tubes plugged with nonabsorbentcotton wool and sterilize in the autoclave or the dry-heat sterilizer (seesection 3.5.5). Never use a needle or syringe on another person before it has beenresterilized. Disposable needles must only be used once, as they cannot beresterilized.Fig. 9.20 Correct (a) and incorrect (b) positions for stopping blood flow