Fingerstick

Fingerstick is a procedure where a lancet is used to puncture the skin, usually on the fingertip, to obtain a small sample of capillary blood for testing. This method is commonly used in glucose monitoring for patients with diabetes and in hemoglobin testing.

Procedure

The fingerstick procedure involves the following steps:

1. The patient's finger is cleaned with an alcohol swab.
2. A lancet is used to puncture the skin on the fingertip.
3. A small amount of blood is squeezed out of the finger and collected on a test strip or in a small tube.
4. The blood sample is then analyzed using a glucose meter or other testing device.

Uses

Fingerstick testing is most commonly used for monitoring blood glucose levels in patients with diabetes. It can also be used for hemoglobin testing, cholesterol testing, and for certain infectious disease tests.

Risks

While fingerstick testing is generally safe, there are some potential risks. These include pain or discomfort at the puncture site, infection, and inaccurate test results due to improper technique or contamination of the sample.

See Also

• Blood test
• Glucose meter
• Diabetes management

Fingerstick Resources
Need Help Finding a Doctor? Need help finding a doctor or specialist anywhere in the world? Explore our world directory. WikiMD's DocFinder can assist you in locating millions of physicians.	Medical Knowledge Access the latest research - Most recent articles Ongoing trials.

Translate to: East Asian 中文, 日本, 한국어, South Asian हिन्दी, Urdu, বাংলা, తెలుగు, தமிழ், ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, မြန်မာဘာသာ, European español, Deutsch, français, русский, português do Brasil, Italian, polski