Blood is used by the body for transportation of oxygen, food, waste products, and other materials within the body. It is also used for regulation of body temperature, regulation of fluids, and acid-base equilibrium. Blood is made up of a fluid portion (plasma) and a cellular portion. Plasma contains various substances dissolved in the fluid. The cellular portion consists primarily of red blood cells, but also includes white blood cells and platelets. Because blood is used for multiple functions within the blood, tests on the blood or its components may give valuable clues in the diagnosis of a multitude of medical conditions.
Capillary blood sampling offers several advantages:
1. It is relatively easy to obtain (often it is very difficult to obtain blood by sampling the veins, especially in infants).
2. There are several collection sites on the body (heel, fingertips, etc.) and these can be rotated.
3. Testing can be performed at home and with minimal training. For example diabetics must check their blood sugar several times a day using capillary blood sampling.
There are some disadvantages to capillary blood sampling. First, there is a limited amount of blood that can be obtained using this method. Second, there are some risks associated with the procedure (see below). Third, capillary blood sampling may provide inaccurate results, such as falsely elevated sugar, electrolyte, and blood count values.
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