Phlebotomy: goals, procedures, and side effects

Have you ever heard of the term phlebotomy? Phlebotomy is a type of laboratory procedure that specializes in treating several blood disorders. This procedure is done by drawing blood by inserting a needle into a vein. For more details, see the following explanation.

What is a phlebotomy?

As mentioned earlier, phlebotomy or phlebotomy is a laboratory procedure that involves removing a large amount of blood. So, phlebotomy is done by inserting a needle into the vein to remove a certain volume of blood from the body.

This process can actually be done on any part of the body. But usually, this procedure is done in the area of ​​the elbow crease because it has a large enough vein.

Purpose of phlebotomy

Phlebotomy is performed deliberately to remove the problematic blood component. Whether it's red blood cells (erythrocytes), white blood cells (leukocytes), blood plasma, platelets (pieces of blood), or iron to form red blood cells.

The decision to remove a number of blood components is not without reason. The reason is, if it continues to be in the body for a long time, the blood components will have a bad impact that threatens the health of the body.

What are the diseases that require phlebotomy?

There are several conditions that require a phlebotomy procedure as treatment, namely:

1. Polycythemia vera

Polycythemia vera is a condition that occurs when there is too much production of red blood cells, hematocrit, and platelets from the spinal cord. As a result, the number of components making up blood, especially red blood cells, which exceeds the normal limit will make the blood thicker.

That is why in the future the rate of blood flow in the body becomes much slower. The phlebotomy procedure is one of the measures that at least is able to prevent the development of the disease, as well as reduce the number of red blood cell production.

Quoted from published journals Blood Transfusion, Phlebotomy with a blood volume of 25 ml can be given to patients with polycythemia vera once every two months. This procedure is useful for lowering the hematocrit level.

2. Hemochromatosis

Hemochromatosis is a medical condition caused by the absorption of too much iron from the daily diet. This large amount of iron is then stored in organs, such as the heart, liver and pancreas.

Treatment with phlebotomy is believed to help reduce excessive amounts of iron by removing a number of red blood cells from the body. This method also stimulates the spinal cord to produce new red blood cells using the iron stored by the body.

Hemochromatosis patients undergo a phlebotomy process of 450 ml of blood containing about 200-250 mg of iron. There are no definite rules about how many times this procedure should be performed. This will be determined by the doctor who treats you.

3. Porphyria

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Porphyria is a rare condition that occurs because the process of heme formation (a component of red blood cells) is inhibited because the body lacks certain enzymes. Normally, there are many enzymes involved to support the process of heme formation.

A deficiency in one of the enzymes can result in a chemical compound to accumulate in the body, known as porphyrin. That is why, the symptoms of porphyrin are called porphyrias, which burns and blisters when exposed to sunlight.

In this case, the phlebotomy procedure will help remove a number of red blood cells from the body. In each session, the health worker will release 450 ml of blood. These sessions are carried out regularly every two weeks until your blood component levels are within normal limits.

4. Other diseases

Some other diseases may also require a phlebotomy procedure as part of treatment. These diseases include:

• Alzheimer's disease
  Phlebotomy procedure is said to reduce body iron which may make Alzheimer's disease worse. However, this still requires further research to prove it.
• Metabolic disorders
  Metabolic disorders, such as diabetes, may benefit from phlebotomy. This is because the reduction of iron in the phlebotomy process can improve blood pressure, glucose levels and cholesterol.
• Sickle cell anemia
  Several studies suggest that routine phlebotomy procedures can reduce the severity of sickle cell anemia. These effects appear three months after starting the procedure.

How is the phlebotomy process done?

The phlebotomy process can be done in a doctor's office, at a blood bank, or in a hospital under the supervision of a doctor after receiving a medical prescription. A health worker called phlebotomist going to do this procedure for you.

Phlebotomist will help remove blood in the body depending on your weight and height. Generally, starting from 450-500 ml or even about 1 liter of blood, which will be adjusted to your body condition.

Quoted from the guidelines established by the World Health Organization, the following are the steps involved in the phlebotomy procedure:

• You will be asked to sit comfortably in a chair that has been provided.
• Your healthcare provider will ask about your medical conditions, such as allergies, phobias, or whether you have ever passed out while undergoing a similar procedure.
• The skin will be cleaned first with an antiseptic liquid that is rubbed through a cotton swab.
• The health worker will gently press the area where the needle will be inserted.
• The health worker will slowly insert a large needle into the skin.
• After the blood has collected, the needle will be gently removed from your arm.
• The health worker will cover the needle mark with clean gauze or a dry cotton ball. You are not allowed to bend your arms for several minutes.

The size of the needle used in the phlebotomy procedure is larger than the size usually used to draw small amounts of blood. The goal is to protect the extracted cell components from being easily destroyed and damaged.

Are there any side effects from the phlebotomy procedure?

Every health procedure performed has certain side effects, including phlebotomy. The side effects of this procedure are the same as those that occur after you perform the blood donation procedure.

Because this procedure of removing blood from the body can change the volume of blood in the body, some people have complained of dizziness due to low blood hemoglobin (anemia) after having a phlebotomy.

This is why after the blood donation, the officer will ask you to sit slowly before standing up. You must drink lots of water afterward. The difference is, the phlebotomy process is done more frequently than blood donors, so side effects may occur more frequently.

Side effects such as dizziness can also occur during the blood draw process. If this happens, immediately convey your complaint to the medical personnel who is drawing blood. The medical personnel may decrease the speed of the blood draw procedure and give you additional fluids.

You will usually feel better after 24-48 hours after the procedure is complete. However, everyone may experience a different recovery period.