An inflatable cuff on the arm is used to check blood pressure and to maintain venous filling. The site for drawing blood is selected and disinfected. A prominent vein is chosen for the venipuncture site. The disinfectant is applied to the area around the vein to be used. The needle used to draw the blood from the vein is gently inserted.
Blood fills the collection bag by gravity in a few minutes.
The sealed plastic collection bag contains a blood preservative. Just after the bag has filled, blood from the line is taken to fill several vacutainer tubes for further testing. The needle is removed and pressure is applied over the venipuncture site, then a bandage is placed for the next couple of hours. This means that, since the blood is not be be used for anyone else, then units positive for infectious agents and units with irregular blood group antibodies are still acceptable for autologous donation. If an autologous unit is collected but not used by the patient-donor, then it is destroyed.