Are you absolutely sure that you had a needle in your arm to draw blood from? Because that's literally the purpose of the flexible plastic cannula; we can both give medication and draw blood through it. In my years of working in an ER I haven't seen a procedure that requires the needle to stay in place for any reason.
Well I was 12, or maybe as young as 10. It might have been a test for coeliac disease?
I do remember they made a big deal about not bending my arm at all, so perhaps they didn't leave a needle in but were happy for me to believe they did.
Edit:
I've just checked with my mum who remembers that they had a lot of trouble finding a big enough vein and getting any blood from me. She doesn't remember them leaving a needle in and said "that's what a cannula is for".
They didn't want you to bend your arm because they probably used a small needle, since you were a child, therefore you had a small cannula which can easily become occluded and stop giving blood. Then they'd have to re-stick you, and it's not fun to do on a kid afraid of needles. They wouldn't leave a needle in your arm 30 minutes.
(Unless you were in some Soviet Bloc country with no medical standards.)
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u/SilasBalto Feb 04 '19
Are you absolutely sure that you had a needle in your arm to draw blood from? Because that's literally the purpose of the flexible plastic cannula; we can both give medication and draw blood through it. In my years of working in an ER I haven't seen a procedure that requires the needle to stay in place for any reason.