13 Cat restraint for blood draws

There are many methods to restrain and draw blood, or place an IV catheter!

• We are reviewing and practicing a few low FAS methods for your toolbox.
• As a lifelong learner, you will observe and experience many techniques, and many outcomes.
• Please evaluate each in terms of safety-both patient and staff, reduction of FAS of the patient, and quality of the sample.
• Be mindful of what worked and didn’t work and how you may add techniques into your own tool box.
• Remember, communication between handler and drawer/IV catheter placer is vital to success-build a plan together.
• As always, gather needed supplies, don’t forget treats if appropriate, know what tubes to grab and what order to draw them and be ready!
• Also decide if you have enough room to draw back on a syringe plunger, or if using a butterfly catheter would be easier-the favorite of many blood drawers! Breathe and be happy! Commonalities in Blood draws

A few tips:

• Lidocaine cream can be placed several minutes prior to blood draw and wiped off before attempt for those patients who are sensitive to needle pricks-can also be used for vaccinations in this way as well!
• You can also try gently scratching the area you will draw from to desensitize the skin over the vein
• Preserve cephalic veins for IV catheters as easiest access during surgery, that being said can also use lateral saphenous with some creativity.
• Less is more regarding restraint or securing cats. Below is video of gentle restraint without using scruff to hold. Another great method is to use a cat wrap as can make the cat feel secure, the increased contact area is less FAS inducing than a couple contact points, and the claws can be covered making handler feel more safe as well.

• Helpful steps for finding cephalic vein and drawing blood:

  • Drawer asks holder “ready?”
  • Drawer cradles antebrachium under the leg palm up with non-dominant hand and uses thumb along one side of the vein to steady and can gently pull skin distally to tighten the skin which prevents the vein from rolling.
  • Drawer strokes the vein toward the foot a couple times-this causes the vein to stand up a bit, (in human medicine it is common to tap the vein a few times-this is annoying for dogs and cats and we cant tell them why we are doing it stroking is less irritating). Apply a bit of alcohol-sticks to hair makes it easier to see the vein, can part hair to visualize skin.
  • Just as in Jugular blood draw, you can rest your syringe hand on your non-dominant hand holding the antebrachium.
  • Start distal in case the vein is blown-you can try again more proximally. Bevel up pointing proximally approx 15-20 degrees
  • “Poking” (avoid saying “OK” as release word for many dogs! As you enter the skin into the vein-flash (be sure bevel is fully in lumen) draw back gently, and fill syringe or collection tube.
    

    Restrainer/supporter for blood draw in medial saphenous Nutshell:

    • Be safe, comfortable and sustainable in your position
    • Holder- thumb under jaw fingers on top of head, forearm along the back OR better yet use a modified uncooperative cat wrap holding cat in crux of inner elbow-either side, feel for legs and have drawer approach and verify they are holding lower leg, while you hold upper leg and hold off vein (avoid paws)
    • Hold off vein using karate chop method proximally in groin area
    • Once blood collected, let off vein, BEFORE the needle removed, still hold onto leg, then cover puncture site when needle out ideally with pre-made folded gauze with vet wrap to apply pressure for several minutes
    • Let off vein once IV catheter is in and move to hold off vein at the proximal end of catheter to prevent blood from leaking out until cap or T-port is attached, continue holding the leg.