Recommendation for collection of venous blood from children, with special reference to production reference values.

Reference values should be produced under standardized conditions. To enable comparison it is desirable to use the same procedure also in other clinical situations. A procedure for the collection of venous blood from children with special reference to production of reference values is recommended. It deals with five items: preparation of the child before specimen collection, preparation of the blood collection site, equipment for specimen collection, the specimen collection itself, and handling and storage of the specimen. Alternative methods are described since no single method is suitable for all paediatric age groups. The problem of adhering to a proposed procedure during routine clinical work is also commented upon. The recommendation has been produced as a joint effort of the Scandinavian Committee on Reference Values and a working group set up by the National Paediatric Societies in the Nordic countries.