Patient Sues for Injury During Venipuncture

A Louisiana patient is suing for damages allegedly sustained during a routine venipuncture.  According to an online article from the Louisiana Record, the patient had her blood drawn on July 30, 2015. The suit claims an employee of the lab injured the medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve of her left arm. The suit accuses the lab of negligence by failing to train its employees and failing to safely draw blood. 

In Louisiana, those who draw blood samples are required by law to be certified and licensed. However, the Louisiana statute exempts clinical laboratory personnel, those under the direct supervision of a physician, and those for whom phlebotomy procedures are within their scope of practice.

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