The Greater Saphenous Venipuncture Procedure: A Reliable Phlebotomy Method for Neonates

Clinicians in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) face considerable challenges when caring for the most critically ill and smallest patients, particularly when blood collection is required from those whose umbilical lines have been removed. Advances in NICU care have led to improved survival rates for this vulnerable population, but their smaller size and clinical fragility make venipuncture increasingly difficult. This paper outlines a reliable and accurate approach to venipuncture using specific anatomical landmarks. While our team at the University of Florida utilized point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to confirm procedural accuracy, the primary aim of this publication is to equip clinicians with a practical, landmark-based method for obtaining blood samples. This approach is particularly valuable in cases where phlebotomy is challenging due to patient size, in the absence of central vascular access, or in developing countries and units without access to POCUS machines.