ABSTRACT
The hypothesis that capillary blood sampling is made easier by warming the heel was examined in a randomised, controlled trial of healthy newborn infants. Sampling was performed using an automated lancet with or without prior warming. The time taken to collect a standard volume of blood, the number of repeat procedures needed, and the infants' behavioural responses were measured. Eighty one procedures were studied in 57 infants. Warming produced a median rise in heel skin temperature of 4.7 degrees C. However, there were no significant differences between the warmed and unwarmed groups in any of the outcome measures. Heel skin temperature is not an important factor in capillary blood sampling. Attention should be directed towards improving sampling devices and technique.
Subject(s)
Blood Specimen Collection/methods , Heel , Pain/prevention & control , Skin Temperature , Heating , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Pain Measurement , Time FactorsABSTRACT
Buoyant density centrifugation in Urografin solutions resolved French Pressure Cell-sheared, and micrococcal nuclease-digested avian reticulocyte chromatin into a broad profile of two peaks. Hybridization experiments using a globin cDNA probe suggested minimal fractionation of transcriptionally active and inactive components with chromatin sheared at 6000 psi, while no evidence was obtained for any fractionation with chromatin sheared at lower or higher pressures, or with chromatin digested to various extents with micrococcal nuclease, despite a considerable spread of chromatin material across gradients.
