When the doctor/nurse takes blood from you, why do they try to find a vein, not an artery? And also why is this mainly done on the arm as opposed to other parts of the body?
In: Biology
Just to add a bit, peripheral IVs are mainly done on the arm for convenience. It’s easier for patients to manage and convenient for people to start them there. You can do them on the hand, as well, but the veins are smaller and it’s not an appropriate site for when you want higher flow IV fluids or etc. (CT contrast, for example, won’t be administered through an IV in your hand but can go through one in your arm).
But we can and do start them pretty much anywhere that has a large enough vein/can be accessed/is appropriate for the situation. In an emergency we can even drill a hole into one of your bones to put the IV in there instead of in a vein.
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