Is it safe to take 5 vials of blood?

Blood testing is what health tracking devices always wanted to be. They all show you aspects of what’s happening in your body so you could make better lifestyle choices to be healthier, but blood testing tells a deeper story than a mobile app or wristband could tell on their own.

With all these devices and services becoming more accessible, healthcare is finally shifting from your doctor’s hands to your own, and advancements in blood testing are opening even greater doors. Most of us have had our blood drawn at some point, whether it was a doctor’s appointment or a donation with the Red Cross, so you probably have a general idea of how it goes down,

But, have you wondered what happens from the moment the needle pricks your arm to the time you get your results in the mail? Turns out, it is an intricate process. Blood needs to be collected, stored, packaged, transported, and analyzed with very particular, nuanced methods.

• Read on to learn everything you never realized you wanted to know about the wonderful complexity of blood testing.
• What is Blood Testing? Blood tests reveal how our health is doing by showing what is in our blood.
• That deep red fluid is packed with different substances, like proteins, nutrients, and hormones.

Analyzing them requires a fresh blood sample, a very careful and sterile process, and fancy tools and machinery at specialized labs. Giving a blood sample normally takes less than 3 minutes (1) and is painless, though some people may experience temporary discomfort and bruising from the needle shortly after the blood draw (2).

1. Why Get Blood Tests? Blood tests can uncover the risk or development of health problems that would otherwise go unnoticed.
2. This is crucial for preventing disease or stopping it in its tracks.
3. If you use any medication, blood tests also let you know how well treatments are working (3).
4. Tracking disease is important, but did you know blood tests could also track the quality of your health? Track Health, Not Just Disease Traditionally, we get blood tests once a year during our annual physical exam.

These tests are generic and focus on a limited set of biomarkers related to disease, while falling short on assessing your health. This is no longer good enough. “Healthy” has a broad spectrum; you don’t have to be sick to be set back, Even if you are free of disease, you might still feel tired, unfocused, slowed down, plateaued, or burdened with a few extra pounds more often than you’d like. That’s because you’re not optimized. Blood Basics There are 5 liters of blood circulating throughout the human body at all times, keeping us alive and functioning properly. Blood provides oxygen and nutrients to tissue, and removes waste. Approximately 45% of our blood consists of red blood cells, less than 1% consists of white cells and platelets, and the remaining 55% is made up of clear yellowish fluid called plasma (4).

• 92% percent of plasma consists of water (4)
• 7% contains proteins, like antibodies and clotting factors
• ~1% consists of hormones like insulin, nutrients like sugar, and electrolytes like sodium.

Red blood cells carry oxygen: Red blood cells contain the protein hemoglobin, which carries oxygen throughout the body and removes carbon dioxide from tissues. White cells fight infection: White blood cells are part of your immune system and defend the body by fighting infection.

1. Platelets control blood clotting: Platelets are smaller blood cells that help your blood clot.
2. They end bleeding by sealing cuts on blood vessel walls (6).
3. There are many different types of tests and procedures to analyze the various substances in blood.
4. The right preparation for your blood draw depends on what is being tested.

Preparing for Your Blood Test While some tests do not need any special preparation, other blood tests—including the ones we conduct at InsideTracker—require fasting for 12 hours before your blood draw. A blood sample from a fasting state better represents your natural, baseline blood levels. For your blood draw with InsideTracker, you will go to a Quest Diagnostics Patient Service Center, unless you ordered an at-home test. We recommend drinking a lot of water during the 24 hours before your test as this will help the blood to flow more freely during the blood draw.

Remember to bring a printed copy of your InsideTracker lab slip to the blood draw as your examiner will need this to know how to take your blood samples. Out of the 5 liters of blood in your body, even 3-5 full vials are a safe quantity and unsubstantial, so don’t worry! This ensures that enough samples are available for back-up in case some samples are compromised.

It also allows for any confirmatory tests that may be needed after the initial tests. Preparing Blood for Analyses Your blood samples must be handled very precisely to maintain their integrity and protect the blood analyst from any possible infection.

Lab technicians and everyone else who handle the samples follow specific guidelines to avoid contaminating the samples, keep cells alive, and prevent too much from changing, which happens naturally the longer the blood is removed from its host. There’s even a method to proper labeling so your blood samples are tracked securely while keeping your personal information private.

Proper handling of the blood sample starts with choosing the right test tube to contain it; there are various types of tubes designed for specific types of tests. Tubes are capped with a vacuum seal so, if the cap is punctured with a special needle to collect blood, the pressure effortlessly pushes blood into the needle without risking contamination. For certain tests, it is important that blood does not clot. In these cases, the samples go in test tubes lined with Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid ( EDTA), a chemical that prevents clotting. Blood samples also need to be kept at the right temperature, which will vary according to what is being tested.

• Storage temperature usually ranges between room temperature (15 – 30°C), refrigerated (2 to 10°C), or frozen (-20°C or colder) (7).
• Specific components of the blood may need to be isolated for certain tests.
• In these cases, whole blood needs to be separated into its three main components: plasma, white blood cells and platelets, and red blood cells.

This separation is achieved through centrifugation, the method of separating lighter and denser portions of a mixture by centrifugal force. If the tests call for it, the test tube with your blood sample will be placed in a device called a “centrifuge.” This device spins very quickly to separate heavy and lighter components of the blood.

After centrifugation, you can see the blood separated into three layers. The lighter components (plasma) naturally end up on top. Specific components of the blood can now be isolated, transferred into another container, and analyzed individually. Transferring blood components is also a delicate process.

Biosafety practices have been established to protect blood samples and the people handling them. To prevent contamination, test tubes typically should be opened in a biological safety cabinet (BSC), or biosafety cabinet, — an enclosed and ventilated desk space designed for working with materials that have the potential to contaminate or be contaminated with pathogens.

There are three types of biosafety cabinets for different types of tests. Air circulates in these cabinets as it flows from the bottom and gets sucked up at the top, so no air can enter or escape. This protects the interior of the cabinet from external contaminators and prevents any pathogens from escaping the cabinet.

A Long Journey Once the blood samples have been centrifuged and transferred to a proper container, as needed, they are transported to a regional lab for analysis. This can be quite a journey; the samples are driven by car to an airport, flown to another city—possibly traveling hundreds of miles—and driven again to their final destination.

As you can imagine, the commute will expose blood samples to all sorts of bumps, shocks, and temperature fluctuations, so proper packaging is essential to keep the blood samples secure. Packaging blood samples for transport may involve details like using the right containers, tight caps and lids, special transport bags and boxes, and proper labels and seals.

Frozen samples should be transported in plastic -screw-cap containers only, and will be shipped with ice to remain frozen until they reach the laboratory (7). This is important because analysis cannot be done on thawed samples. Dry ice is used for longer distances.

• Transporting by air comes with a long list of packing policies created by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the trade association for the world’s airlines that helps formulate industry policy on critical aviation issues, like the safe transport of sensitive goods.
• As you can see, a lot goes into just moving blood samples across locations.

When ready, your InsideTracker blood sample will be transported from the Quest Diagnostics Patient Service Center to a Quest Diagnostics lab to be analyzed. All Quest labs are certified in Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), which ensures quality standards for laboratory testing.

Analyzing Blood Different tests are designed to analyze various components of your blood and assess certain aspects of your health. Whole blood is used to count red blood cells, while plasma is separated from blood cells by centrifugation to undergo other tests (3). Some tests require serum, which is what remains in place of plasma after blood clots so no clotting factors are present.

Blood is left to clot for sixty minutes and then centrifuged for 15 minutes to separate the serum (8). Plasma is more commonly used for tests because its components are believed to better reflect a patient’s pathological situation than those in serum (9). For these analyses, test tubes are lined with the chemical anticoagulant EDTA to prevent clotting.

• Now What? Blood test results are generally available in three to seven days, depending on which markers are being tested.
• If you had a standard blood test at your doctor’s and no signs of disease were found, then there are no next steps.
• Once InsideTracker gets your results, however, we invite you to start a new chapter.

We incorporate your results with our evidence-based algorithm to make recommendations for optimizing your health. These are practical steps you can take each day to feel, perform, and live better. The efficacy of each intervention we recommend is substantiated by multiple credible sources from our cited database. If you’re tracking your steps or sleeping patterns, shouldn’t you be tracking what’s in your blood just as consistently? Want to get started on blood testing to help achieve your goals?

Can giving 6 vials of blood make you tired?

Feeling tired after blood draw – Even if you don’t feel light-headed or faint, venipuncture can still be a draining experience and you may feel tired afterwards. In most cases, this will pass gradually — but be sure to seek medical advice if your fatigue does not improve or worsens over the following few hours.

Why do doctors take 4 vials of blood?

1. Backup – Many items require different instruments to test. A certain amount of blood is consumed to test for different items. A small amount can lead to inaccurate results or failure to produce results. Drawing an excessive amount of blood will ensure that there is enough for retesting in case of abnormal results.

How long does it take to recover 4 vials of blood?

It only takes about 24 hours for the blood volume to be restored, but it can take a lot longer for the erythrocytes, platelets, coagulation factors, etc. to be replenished.

How long does it take to replenish 10 vials of blood?

How long will it take to replenish my blood after donation? – The blood volume is typically replaced within 24 hours. Red blood cells take between 4-6 weeks to completely replace, which is why the FDA requires an 8 week wait between blood donations.

How long does it take to replace 7 vials of blood?

Whole Blood Donations Donating blood takes about an hour from the time you arrive until you are ready to leave. First, you must complete a registration form with basic information such as your name, address, and birthdate. You must also present identification that shows your name and your photo or signature.

Then, one of our medical professionals will check your blood pressure, temperature, and hemoglobin level (iron); take a look at your arm to make sure it is clear of any signs of infection or intravenous drug use; and ask you confidential questions about your health to ensure that you are eligible to donate blood that day.

The actual donation takes between ten and 20 minutes. Afterward, you will be given juice and/or water to replenish the fluid donated and refresh you before you leave the Blood Donor Room. There are also cookies available for a snack. You should eat a regular meal and drink plenty of fluids one to two hours before donating blood.

• A skilled, professionally trained staff member will collect your blood.
• Except for a slight sting when the needle is inserted, you should not experience any pain during the donation.
• Your body will replace the blood volume (plasma) within 48 hours.
• It will take four to eight weeks for your body to completely replace the red blood cells you donated.

The average adult has eight to 12 pints of blood. You will not notice any physical changes related to the pint you donated. All blood is tested for blood type, hepatitis, HIV (the AIDS virus), HTLV, and syphilis. Then it is separated into components — red blood cells and plasma — to help patients recover from cancer treatment and regain their strength.

What is a 7 vials of blood drawn?

Frequently Asked Questions –

• Is a chem 7 the same as a basic metabolic panel? Yes, the chem 7 blood test is also called a basic metabolic panel or BMP. The seven blood markers tested include blood urea nitrogen (BUN), carbon dioxide, creatinine, glucose, serum chloride, serum potassium, and serum sodium.
• Is fasting required for a basic metabolic panel? Typically yes, but not always. Fasting eight hours before drawing bloodwork for the basic metabolic panel is recommended but not always practical. For example, if the test is taken at the doctor’s office or hospital without prior planning, fasting before the test may not be possible. Blood glucose levels—one of the seven tests in the panel—should be measured while fasting. It is used to screen for diabetes and should be below 100 mg/dL in non-diabetics. Blood glucose levels can rise after eating and be as high as 140 mg/dL in people without diabetes.
• What is the difference between basic and comprehensive metabolic panel? A comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) includes 14 tests—the chem 7 plus seven more tests. Also called chem 14, it includes liver functioning tests and provides a more in-depth look at your overall health. Sometimes mistakenly called a complete metabolic panel, the CMP includes:
  • Alanine aminotransferase (ALT)
  • Albumin
  • Alkaline phosphatase (ALP)
  • Aspartate aminotransferase (AST)
  • Bilirubin
  • Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)
  • Calcium
  • Carbon dioxide
  • Chloride
  • Creatinine
  • Glucose
  • Potassium
  • Sodium
  • Total protein

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. MedlinePlus. Basic metabolic panel (BMP),
2. Bertschi LA. Abnormal basic metabolic panel findings: implications for nursing. Am J Nurs,2020;120(6):58-66. doi:10.1097/01.NAJ.0000668764.99872.89
3. Gouden V, Bhatt H, Jialal I. Renal function tests, In: StatPearls, Treasure Island, Fla: StatPearls Publishing; 2021.
4. American College of Clinical Pathology. Reference values for common lab tests,
5. Royal College of Canada. Clinical laboratory tests – reference values,
6. Doyle J, Cooper JS. Physiology, carbon dioxide transport, In: StatPearls.
7. Kley RA, Tarnopolsky MA, Vorgerd M. Creatine for treating muscle disorders, Cochrane Database Syst Rev,2013;2013(6):CD004760. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004760.pub4
8. Shrimaker I, Bhattarai S. Electrolytes, In: StatPearls, Treasure Island, Fla: StatPearls Publishing; 2021.
9. American Association for Clinical Chemistry. Potassium,

By Jennifer Whitlock, RN, MSN, FN Jennifer Whitlock, RN, MSN, FNP-C, is a board-certified family nurse practitioner. She has experience in primary care and hospital medicine. Thanks for your feedback!

Can you draw blood from the same vein twice?

Routine Venipuncture » Routine Venipuncture

• Veins in the legs and feet should only be used with physician approval and can only be drawn by a RN or appropriately trained personnel; training must be documented
  • These sites are more susceptible to infection and formation of clots, particularly in patients with diabetes, coagulation disorders and cardiac problems.
• Never apply a tourniquet to an arm located on the same side of the body as a mastectomy or stroke
• If the arm contains an IV drip, it is preferable to draw from the other arm. If this is not possible, blood may be drawn below the IV site, preferably from a different vein, but IV must be turned off for at least 1 hour prior. Note on the report and requisition the site of draw.
• Arterial blood for routine testing should only be obtained in a clinical setting by a licensed medical provider. It is outside the scope of practice of a phlebotomist to perform an arterial puncture and should not be attempted without proper training. If performed improperly a patient could lose the function of a hand or many complications can occur, such as hematoma, thrombosis (blood clot), hemorrhage, infection and permanent nerve damage.
• Avoid drawing through moles, scars, or any other skin irregularities.
• Do not go through the same hole twice unless previous puncture has had appropriate time to heal.

What is a normal amount of blood drawn?

How much blood is taken during blood tests? – That depends on the kind of blood test. On average, a complete blood count (CBC) test may take as much as 30 milliliters (mL) of blood. It may sound like a lot of blood, particularly if you’re watching your blood flow into several sample tubes. But it’s not — the average adult has 4,500 to 5,700 milliliters of blood in their body.

Why did my doctor take 6 vials of blood?

The number of vials depends on the number and type of lab tests the doctor wants to run. It could be six, or it could be one. There are tests that require different types of additives in the vial and can’t be run from the same vials used for other tests. In that case, additional vials may be needed.

What are the dangers of blood vials?

Protect Patients Against Preventable Harm from Improper Use of Single–Dose/Single–Use Vials Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion Single–dose⁄Single–use Vial Statement and Messages May 2, 2012 In an effort to ensure clinicians are clear about CDC guidelines, the Agency is restating its position on the use of single-dose/single-use vials and also seeks to dispel inaccuracies being disseminated to healthcare providers.

1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines call for medications labeled as “single-dose” or “single-use” to be used for only one patient.
2. This practice protects patients from life-threatening infections that occur when medications get contaminated from unsafe use.
3. Concerns have been raised about whether these guidelines and related policies contribute to drug shortages and increased medical costs to healthcare providers.

CDC recognizes the problem of drug shortages; however, such shortages are a result of manufacturing, shipping, and other issues unrelated to the above guidelines (). CDC ‘s priority is protecting patients from harm. CDC routinely investigates and is apprised of infectious disease outbreaks involving single-dose/single-use vials being used for multiple patients.

These outbreaks cause extensive harm to patients, and they are associated with significant healthcare and legal expenses. Therefore, CDC continues to strongly support its current policies regarding single-dose/single-use vials. It is imperative that drug shortages and drug waste concerns are dealt with appropriately and do not lead to unsafe medical practices that impose increased disease risk on patients.

Shortages of some essential medications may warrant implementation of meticulously applied practice and quality standards to subdivide contents of single-dose/single-use vials, as stated in United States Pharmacopeia General Chapter ‹797› Pharmaceutical Compounding – Sterile Preparations.

• Vials labeled by the manufacturer as “single dose” or “single use” should only be used for a single patient. These medications typically lack antimicrobial preservatives and can become contaminated and serve as a source of infection when they are used inappropriately.
• Ongoing outbreaks provide ample evidence that inappropriate use of single-dose/single-use vials causes patient harm.
• In times of critical need, contents from unopened single–dose⁄single–use vials can be repackaged for multiple patients. However, this should only be performed by qualified healthcare personnel in accordance with standards in General Chapter ‹797› Pharmaceutical Compounding — Sterile Preparations. Following the USP standards is imperative, as medication contamination and patient harm can occur when repackaging (e.g. splitting doses) is not done properly.

1. CDC evidence-based guidelines define safe injection practices under Standard Precautions. These include one-time use of needles and syringes and limiting sharing of medication vials. Vials labeled as “single dose” or “single use” should not be used on multiple patients.
   1. A large single-dose/single-use vial may appear to contain adequate drug to treat more than one patient. However, single-dose/single-use vials typically lack antimicrobial preservative and can become contaminated and serve as a source of infection when they are used inappropriately. Therefore, they should only be used for a single patient and a single procedure.
2. Unsafe injection practices include, but are not limited to, reuse of syringes for multiple patients or to access shared medications, administration of medication from a single-dose/single-use vial to multiple patients, and failure to use aseptic technique when preparing and administering injections.
3. Injection safety is every provider’s responsibility. It is especially important to remember that when injecting medications into sterile sites, such as the spine, there is no margin for error.
4. When providers deviate from CDC’s safe practice guidelines, they are imposing risks on their patients. Since the CDC Guidelines were published in 2007, CDC is aware of at least 19 outbreaks associated with single-dose/single-use medications:
   1. 7 outbreaks involved bloodborne pathogen infections and 12 involved bacterial infections (with a majority of affected patients requiring hospitalization)
   2. All of these outbreaks involved outpatient settings, with the majority occurring in pain remediation clinics (n=8).
5. Healthcare providers should consult with pharmacy professionals and USP 797 standards when there is a need to subdivide contents of single-dose/single-use vials.

CDC is aware of a number of misinterpretations or misrepresentations of CDC’s guidelines regarding single-dose/single-use vials. CDC outlines below some of these issues and provides more explanation of the Agency’s position.

A single-dose or single-use vial is a vial of liquid medication intended for parenteral administration (injection or infusion) that is meant for use in a single patient for a single case/procedure/injection. Single-dose or single-use vials are labeled as such by the manufacturer and typically lack an antimicrobial preservative.

What should you not do before a blood test?

Will I need to take other steps to prepare for my lab test? – For many lab tests, you don’t need to do anything other than answer questions from your provider and/or lab professional. But for others, you may need do some specific preparations before the test.

• One of the most common lab test preparations is fasting,
• Fasting means you should not eat or drink anything except water for up to several hours or overnight before your test.
• This is done because nutrients and ingredients in food are absorbed in the bloodstream.
• This can affect certain blood test results.

The length of fasting can vary. So if you do need to fast, make sure you ask your provider how long you should do it. Other common test preparations include:

• Avoiding specific foods and drinks such as cooked meats, herbal tea, or alcohol
• Making sure not to overeat the day before a test
• Not smoking
• Avoiding specific behaviors such as strenuous exercise or sexual activity
• Avoiding certain medicines and/or supplements. Be sure to talk to your provider about what you are currently taking, including over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and supplements.

For some blood tests, you may be asked to drink extra water to help keep more fluid in your veins. You may also be asked to drink water 15 to 20 minutes before certain urine tests.

How much blood goes in each tube?

This version of the course is no longer available. Need multiple seats for your university or lab? Get a quote The page below is a sample from the LabCE course Phlebotomy, Access the complete course and earn ASCLS P.A.C.E.-approved continuing education credits by subscribing online. Learn more about Phlebotomy (online CE course) Blood collection tubes: sizes

Adult tubes generally hold from 3 to 10 ml of blood. Pediatric tubes usually hold from 2 to 4 ml.Tubes for fingersticks or heelsticks generally hold one half ml or less.

What should I eat after a blood test?

What to Eat After a Blood Draw? – Regardless of whether you had blood drawn for a test or for a donation, it’s important to eat afterward. Testing often requires fasting, which means you will be very hungry, and blood donations often take a lot out of you, so it’s important to replenish your body throughout the day.

• The best foods to eat are those that are rich in iron, including fortified cereals and leafy vegetables like spinach.
• Meat that includes iron includes fish, eggs, and poultry.
• Vitamin C improves your body’s ability to absorb iron, so citrus or bell peppers also make good complimentary snacks.
• Protein and carbs also play an important role in helping you stay energetic and preventing you from fainting.

Cheese and crackers, peanut butter, nuts like walnuts, cashews, almonds, or peanuts, or a healthy sandwich are all good options. Additionally, vitamin B12 aids your body in regenerating red blood cells and nerve cells, meaning foods containing it make great snacks after you have your blood drawn.

How long does it take to replace 10 vials of blood?

Whole Blood Donations Donating blood takes about an hour from the time you arrive until you are ready to leave. First, you must complete a registration form with basic information such as your name, address, and birthdate. You must also present identification that shows your name and your photo or signature.

Then, one of our medical professionals will check your blood pressure, temperature, and hemoglobin level (iron); take a look at your arm to make sure it is clear of any signs of infection or intravenous drug use; and ask you confidential questions about your health to ensure that you are eligible to donate blood that day.

The actual donation takes between ten and 20 minutes. Afterward, you will be given juice and/or water to replenish the fluid donated and refresh you before you leave the Blood Donor Room. There are also cookies available for a snack. You should eat a regular meal and drink plenty of fluids one to two hours before donating blood.

A skilled, professionally trained staff member will collect your blood. Except for a slight sting when the needle is inserted, you should not experience any pain during the donation. Your body will replace the blood volume (plasma) within 48 hours. It will take four to eight weeks for your body to completely replace the red blood cells you donated.

The average adult has eight to 12 pints of blood. You will not notice any physical changes related to the pint you donated. All blood is tested for blood type, hepatitis, HIV (the AIDS virus), HTLV, and syphilis. Then it is separated into components — red blood cells and plasma — to help patients recover from cancer treatment and regain their strength.

How long does it take to replenish 10 vials of blood?

How long will it take to replenish my blood after donation? – The blood volume is typically replaced within 24 hours. Red blood cells take between 4-6 weeks to completely replace, which is why the FDA requires an 8 week wait between blood donations.

How big is 10 units of blood?

Adult will have approximately 1.2-1.5 gallons (or 10 units) of blood in their body. Blood is approximately 10% of an adult’s weight.

How much blood is a tube?

This version of the course is no longer available. Need multiple seats for your university or lab? Get a quote The page below is a sample from the LabCE course Phlebotomy, Access the complete course and earn ASCLS P.A.C.E.-approved continuing education credits by subscribing online. Learn more about Phlebotomy (online CE course) Blood collection tubes: sizes

Adult tubes generally hold from 3 to 10 ml of blood. Pediatric tubes usually hold from 2 to 4 ml.Tubes for fingersticks or heelsticks generally hold one half ml or less.

Jonathan Rivers