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Blood Spot samples. Jane Gick Paediatric Metabolic Nurse Specialist Evelina Children’s Hospital Guy’s & St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation trust. Preparation. Write out card with all the necessary details. Have lancet pen ready and loaded
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Blood Spot samples Jane Gick Paediatric Metabolic Nurse Specialist Evelina Children’s Hospital Guy’s & St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation trust
Preparation • Write out card with all the necessary details. • Have lancet pen ready and loaded • A clean cotton wool ball for wiping site after sample collected • Plaster if required
Using soft clix pen • If using a soft clix device, set the gauge. • Depth gauge is according to skin type, three to four is usually fine.
cleansing • Wash your hands, dry them thoroughly. • Wet hands can contaminate a sample as well as prevent a nice blood bubble formation.
Heel prick test • Apply booties or warm socks an hour or so prior to collecting sample. • Make sure heel is clean • Either side of the heel and big toe can be used.
Sample site • Choose a different finger/toe from last sample. • Make sure hands are nice and warm. • Hold device firmly on skin. • Press button. • Count to three 1,2,3 • Squeeze.
Sample size • Use a squeeze and relax, squeeze and relax tension allowing for a good size sample.
Apply sample to card • Allow for nice bubble formation • If bubble is not going to drip, bring card to bubble trying not to let finger/heel touch the card. Blood will seep through the card.
How many spots? • Most laboratories are happy for two blood spots but they must be big enough. • If the first spot looks too small collect three blood spots or even four, this will ensure some of the sample sent will be sufficient.
coverage • Each spot should cover most of the circle diameter.
What’s on the other side? • Turn the card over to check enough blood has soaked through.
Poor samples • Samples that are too small will give an inaccurate phenylalanine level.
examples • Another example of poor samples.
spotting • Spotting will give a result that may not reflect a true phenylalanine level.
What happens next • A suitable spot is punched from the card for analysis
Size required for accurate testing • This picture demonstrates the size of sample required to get a good phenylalanine result.
Checking in • Samples posted in are received at the laboratory and are logged in to the computer.
Punching out spot • A special machine punches out the spots
Mixing and shaking • Samples are then put onto plates and mixed.
Analysing • All samples running for analysis.
results • Sample results are then checked by the laboratory staff.
Lab team • Our hard working biochemistry team.
Reported results • Our dietitians have both a phoned and faxed report of all the day’s phenylalanine samples received
Phoning parents • With all the results available, the dietitian phones the families, discusses both the child’s well being dietary changes if needed and often a bit of a social chit-chat.