Fingersticks (or fingerpricks) and heelpricks are small superficial wounds that provide venous blood for some blood tests. Various methods are used to open the wound, which produces no more than a few drops of blood. The procedure can be painful, but is typically quicker and less distressing than venipuncture.
After a droplet has formed, venous blood is sucked up in a capillary tube, usually relying on surface tension, but sometimes by indirect suction.
Tests commonly conducted on capillary blood are:
Full CBC (complete blood count) Fingersticks are sometimes done on children and the elderly, when only a small amount of blood (less than 500 μg) is needed for a test. Neonates (newborn babies) are given heelpricks instead, as this is less likely to cause permanent damage (and because babies have very small fingers).