Every person needs to systematically check their he alth by passing at least the simplest tests, such as a general analysis of capillary blood, urine. Directions for these studies are issued by district physicians, and the collection is carried out in public laboratories free of charge or in private ones for a fee. No matter how unpleasant the procedure for taking tests, it must be remembered that timely and correct diagnosis of diseases can only be done with a laboratory blood test. According to organizations and he alth professionals, more than half of the diagnostic information about the patient comes from laboratory tests.
A blood test, which doctors advise taking at least once a year or half a year, shows the amount of hemoglobin in the blood for the timely detection of anemia, allows you to assess the level of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. To reduce pain during the delivery of a laboratory analysis of capillary blood, it is better to usescarifier.
Scarifier: what is it? What is it for?
Foreign words flow into our speech gradually, and in order to use them in speech, it is necessary to accurately understand their meaning. With the meaning of the word "scarifier" (what it is and how it is used), a dictionary of foreign words will help you figure it out. The first and most common is used in the medical field and refers to a medical instrument with which a notch is made on the skin to take a capillary blood test. The medical scarifier is a stainless steel plate ending with a pointed spear. Some of these fixtures are made from other materials and have a more modern look. Children's lancets are especially different.
The second meaning is used in the agricultural sector - this is the name of the agricultural tool. Lawn scarifier - what is this tool? This can be understood from the general meaning of the term. The concept of "scarifier" in literal translation from Latin means "producing notches." As an agricultural tool, the scarifier makes notches in the ground to a depth of 4 to 15 cm so that more air enters the soil.
Types of scarifiers
But the article will focus on the medical meaning of the concept of "scarifier". So, in medicine, this device is actually used for bloodletting. For the collection of capillary blood, various types of this device are used - for children andstandard. Standard are used to make a notch on the skin of an adult. They come in various types: with a spear in the center of the plate or in the side.
There are automatic devices that use a small needle packed in a capsule instead of a blade. The needle is available in various lengths and is not visible during use, ideal for drawing blood from children.
Benefits of scarifiers
Disposable scarifier allows you to take blood for analysis almost painlessly. In addition, the patient who came to donate blood can be sure that the device is sterile and has not been used before. The doctor or laboratory assistant opens the hermetic packaging of the scarifier in front of the patient and makes an incision or puncture in the skin. The scarifier is a device that minimizes contact with the environment and the hands of medical personnel, so the risk of contracting any infection is almost zero.
Modern scarifiers
So, the scarifier - what is this device? All laboratory assistants and doctors know about this, but the choice of the type of this disposable instrument lies with the patient himself. Often it depends on the manufacturer whether it will hurt when taking blood. Pharmacies now sell modern scarifiers, which differ in appearance and quality from a steel plate. They are multi-colored bright tubes, at the end of which there are needles in capsules. These needles come in various lengths,you need to choose the right one according to the color of the device itself. The manufacturer of this type of lancet is MEDLANCE Plus. There are four colors of the scarifier to choose from: purple with a needle length of 1.5 mm (it is advised to use it for patients with diabetes mellitus); blue, capable of making a puncture at 1.8 mm; green with a needle length of 2.4 mm and yellow with a puncture depth of 0.8 mm.
The purple scarifier is not advised to use when taking a complete blood count. The puncture is shallow and closes quickly, so this option is ideal for diabetics. The blue lancet is best used for donating blood for sugar, to determine the blood group, to determine coagulation and other tests. For men and other categories of patients with rough skin on the fingertips, it is better to use a green scarifier. That this fixture has a needle length of 2.4 mm has been stated above.
Children's scarifiers
Scarifiers for children are best to choose modern ones. For small patients, the yellow lancet from MEDLANCE Plus (puncture depth 0.8 mm) or purple from Acti-lance (puncture depth 1.5 mm) is ideal. It must be borne in mind that if you select a scarifier for taking blood from an infant in the maternity hospital, then you need to take it with the largest needle, because such an analysis is taken from the heel. In addition, a sterile bladed scarifier is suitable for this, which will provide good blood flow for collecting analysis.
Requirements for scarifiers
So, we figured out what a scarifier is. That this is a high-tech invention, for the implementation of which experiments were carried out, certain materials were selected, we understood. Each type of scarifier has its own length, shape and diameter of the pointed part. Each type of lancet has its own rounding shape, sharpening method. The main requirement that is common to all scarifiers is sterility.
User reviews
According to many, the use of a scarifier during blood donation significantly reduces not only pain, but also fears. Mothers claim that baby scarifiers are a wonderful device that allows you to take blood from the smallest babies. If the child is sleeping, then during the procedure for taking blood from the finger, he does not even wake up, he only frowns a little or moves in his sleep. Therefore, mothers do not experience feelings of guilt and anxiety after this procedure.
Some patients who have already learned about the existence of this device for collecting capillary blood are surprised that doctors themselves do not offer patients to use a scarifier, and some laboratory assistants (such cases were also observed) refuse to use the tool bought in a pharmacy. If the packaging of the sterile scarifier is not damaged and the expiration date has not passed, then the refusal is illegal.
Where to buy the tool
You can buy a scarifier in pharmacies. However, according to feedback from many users, there are sometimes problems with the search. There are times when there is an ordinary sterile lancet, but a specialchild - no. The way out in this situation is that you can order the necessary type of scarifier in an online store of medical goods or an online pharmacy.