Passed out during blood draw

S

Spooky Ghost

Guest
Title says it, I recently got a new primary care doc and he wanted to draw some blood to check my cholesterol and whatnot. I was sitting there as the tech filled the vials and started to feel a little woozy, leaned by head back in the chair and next thing I remember it was like waking up from a dream and there were a couple of people hovering over me.

They said I was out for only a couple of seconds, I was fine in a minute or so and walked out. I did specifically ask if they were logging or reporting this anywhere and they said no. The cause seemed pretty self evident and they weren't concerned. I've felt slightly light headed having blood drawn before but never actually passed out... skipped lunch that day which probably didn't help matters. I had no conscious anxiety about the needle other than bracing for some slight discomfort.... very weird experience.

I have a valid third class medical that isn't up for renewal for a few years. Do I have a problem now or is this a non-event?
 
Non event, IMO. Not 100% sure but I think the question on the medical application is “unexplained loss of consciousness”. Fainting from a blood draw would be fairly common, I would think.
 
Have guys usually do that all the time in our office. In fact we have these two farmers, brothers. Big strapping boys. 6’2-4” 280. All boss. Each time they get bw down they go. Sometimes it’s delayed a few minutes. One time one of those boys almost took out a cute drug rep. Heard him go down and thought someone drive through the building.
Laying down helps. Lots of water helps too (fast doesn’t include water). Relaxing helps
 
I'd count it as needle phobic myself. I prefer to be laying down if possible for blood draws, never look, and never be in a rush to get up before I'm sure I'm ready.

Of course it isn't my opinion that counts.
 
I did pass out once as they dug for a vein that was rolling and/or collapsing. A handful of other times I came close and it was quite unpleasant. Sweating, nausea, abdominal cramping. Yuck!

Everyone is different, but two things that worked for me:

1) Do NOT try to relax. Tense up your abdominal and leg muscles as much as possible. This will help prevent the lowering of blood pressure that leads to fainting. I read about this somewhere on the internet and it works.

2) Use the vein in the back of the hand or wrist instead of the arm.

In my case, a combination of those two things has made blood draws a non-event.
 
I did pass out once as they dug for a vein that was rolling and/or collapsing. A handful of other times I came close and it was quite unpleasant.

Everyone is different, but two things that worked for me:

1) Do NOT try to relax. Tense up your abdominal and leg muscles as much as possible. This will help prevent the lowering of blood pressure that leads to fainting. I read about this somewhere on the internet and it works.

2) Use the vein in the back of the hand or wrist.

In my case, a combination of those two things has made blood draws a non-event.
Ok. This is now too much detail. I have to exit this thread before
 
I passed out once donating double RBC (they take two units and put some back), but never with a blood test. That's got to be some sort of autonomic response, since they don't take much blood.
 
Last edited:
Vasovagal Syncope. Needles or the sight of blood causes some to faint. Seen it happen to others several times during flight physicals in the military. I’d agree with the above to try and tense your lower body to try and keep the blood to your head.

Not something I’d really worry about though.
 
This is a quote from a doc when the issue was brought up a bunch of years ago (similar to what Velocity said)...

"These are pre-syncopal symptoms (vaso-vagal) with an identifiable cause in every case, otherwise defined in medical terms as "feeling woozy"."

So, bottom line is that it is not an unidentifiable cause so you are good to go.
 
I definitely don’t have this issue. I once was stabbed 18 times by an inept nurse who couldn’t have gotten blood from me if she chopped my hand off. I grabbed the needle from her, sunk it into my own arm, twisted it around a bit and filled the vial. The nurse ran out of the room in hysterics and called the head nurse, who said “we can’t use that blood”. I said “you can, and you will”, I’m not letting you use me as a pincushion anymore” and showed her all the bandaids. She used the vial I had drawn.

(I’ve donated over 10 gallons of blood, so I’m pretty desensitized to the whole ordeal, and I’m very familiar with how to hit my veins. The nurse was ignoring my advice)
 
Vasovagal Syncope. Needles or the sight of blood causes some to faint. Seen it happen to others several times during flight physicals in the military. I’d agree with the above to try and tense your lower body to try and keep the blood to your head.

Not something I’d really worry about though.

I had this happen once during an episode of acute bronchitis.. Was standing up, coughed a bit, and next thing i knew i was on the floor
 
I just happened to give a few vials today also. I was thinking about this thread the whole time thinking it would jinx me. Fortunately I didn’t pass out. ;)

Only time I got a little light headed was years ago when I witnessed a guy pass out next to me while giving blood. I was doing my annual ATC physical at Miramar and some young guy in civies was doing his first flight physical. Think it was for NROTC. Anyway, I’m sitting there with the needle in my arm and a corpsman attending me. The dude next to me gets poked and says “well that’s not as bad as I thought it would be.” His corpsman leaves him for just a second and whaam!! He’s on the ground out cold, eyes roll to the back of his head, vial comes out spraying blood on his jeans and my cammies. My corpsman leaves me to help the other guy and I’m getting light headed just looking at this dude! Rest of the day he’s going to station to station looking like he went through hell. Welcome to the military bud. :D

These days I see so much blood at work that it doesn’t bother me in the least.
 
Seems to me you would have to answer either 18B or C "yes".
 
I wish one of the AMEs would weigh in. I thought vasovagal syncope in general was a problem. Maybe only if unprovoked out of nowhere. (Unexplained)

I have no problems with blood draw. They can poke and wiggle that needle around all they want and I'll even watch it and I won't get dizzy but I do get very annoyed.

But once when I was a child I had strep throat and a high fever. I was given an extremely painful shot of penicillin in the butt. I climbed down off the table and fainted to the floor. I'm sure that wouldn't be considered unexplained.
 
Thanks for the responses. It was the weirdest thing because I don't have a needle phobia that I am consciously aware of. I watched the tech draw the first vial and it wasn't bothering me, I was somewhat curious about the process and just making conversation with the tech. Then he did the second and about then I was starting to feel weird, I must have gone out shortly after he started the third one. If I'd braced for it by breathing more intentionally and clenching up and concentrating I think I'd have been OK but I wasn't expecting it.

Only a few minutes before I'd gotten a flu shot and I was fine. Obviously something happened but I've never been bothered by the sight of blood. No phobia of needles in and of themselves either. I am always a tad uncomfortable around medical stuff also a tad uncomfortable in situations where I feel like I can't leave. What I'm thinking is none of those things on their own would ever be an issue but maybe all of it together plus being hungry and a little tired that day all just sort of hit? I'm assuming this has to be in my head right? Absolutely maddening not understanding what one's own brain is doing.

Bloodwork came back, doc didn't see anything of note on it as expected so there is that...

Common sense says to me this should be a non issue and I should be able to just forget about it. This is the FAA we're talking about here though so IDK if common sense applies. I guess if the question says "unexplained loss of consciousness" like one of the posters above mentioned I can forget about it, nobody made a record or diagnosis anyway it's just going to show I had a checkup that day if anyone looks it up. If I am required to report it then there's nothing that exists for me to show the FAA if they ask for it either...
 
I wish one of the AMEs would weigh in. I thought vasovagal syncope in general was a problem. Maybe only if unprovoked out of nowhere. (Unexplained)

I have no problems with blood draw. They can poke and wiggle that needle around all they want and I'll even watch it and I won't get dizzy but I do get very annoyed.

But once when I was a child I had strep throat and a high fever. I was given an extremely painful shot of penicillin in the butt. I climbed down off the table and fainted to the floor. I'm sure that wouldn't be considered unexplained.
Question 18 doesn't say anything about explained or unexplained. It says, all caps: HAVE YOU EVER IN YOUR LIFE, which I think is done for clarity. B is dizziness or fainting spell, C is unconsciousness for any reason. I can't imagine how the OP could answer no to those.
 
Thanks for the responses. It was the weirdest thing because I don't have a needle phobia that I am consciously aware of. I watched the tech draw the first vial and it wasn't bothering me, I was somewhat curious about the process and just making conversation with the tech. Then he did the second and about then I was starting to feel weird, I must have gone out shortly after he started the third one. If I'd braced for it by breathing more intentionally and clenching up and concentrating I think I'd have been OK but I wasn't expecting it.

Only a few minutes before I'd gotten a flu shot and I was fine. Obviously something happened but I've never been bothered by the sight of blood. No phobia of needles in and of themselves either. I am always a tad uncomfortable around medical stuff also a tad uncomfortable in situations where I feel like I can't leave. What I'm thinking is none of those things on their own would ever be an issue but maybe all of it together plus being hungry and a little tired that day all just sort of hit? I'm assuming this has to be in my head right? Absolutely maddening not understanding what one's own brain is doing.

Bloodwork came back, doc didn't see anything of note on it as expected so there is that...

Common sense says to me this should be a non issue and I should be able to just forget about it. This is the FAA we're talking about here though so IDK if common sense applies. I guess if the question says "unexplained loss of consciousness" like one of the posters above mentioned I can forget about it, nobody made a record or diagnosis anyway it's just going to show I had a checkup that day if anyone looks it up. If I am required to report it then there's nothing that exists for me to show the FAA if they ask for it either...
Nothing about explained or unexplained:

18. Medical History - HAVE YOU EVER IN YOUR LIFE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH, HAD, OR DO YOU PRESENTLY HAVE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING?

B. Dizziness or fainting spell
C. Unconsciousness for any reason

https://www.faa.gov/about/office_or...ces/aam/ame/guide/media/applicant history.pdf
 
Question 18 doesn't say anything about explained or unexplained. It says, all caps: HAVE YOU EVER IN YOUR LIFE, which I think is done for clarity. B is dizziness or fainting spell, C is unconsciousness for any reason. I can't imagine how the OP could answer no to those.
Do you answer yes? Can you say you've never been dizzy in your entire life? Not even when playing pin the tail on the donkey? Have you ever been put under for dental work? Do you answer yes, since that rendered you unconscious?

With your criteria, I don't think anyone in the world could answer no to that question.
 
Do you answer yes? Can you say you've never been dizzy in your entire life? Not even when playing pin the tail on the donkey? Have you ever been put under for dental work? Do you answer yes, since that rendered you unconscious?

With your criteria, I don't think anyone in the world could answer no to that question.
It's not my criteria, it's the FAA's. I'm just giving him the facts with which to make a decision, not repeating some vague notion or explained or unexplained, which isn't in the paperwork.
 
It's not my criteria, it's the FAA's. I'm just giving him the facts with which to make a decision, not repeating some vague notion or explained or unexplained, which isn't in the paperwork.
You didn't answer my question. Put your money where your mouth is. Do you answer yes to that question?

I don't really want to know what you answer. My point is if you answer no, then you most likely aren't applying that criteria either. Unless you never spun around until you got dizzy as a kid.
 
Last edited:
I could have sworn I saw "unexplained LOC" was the problem but now I cannot remember where.
 
You didn't answer my question. Put your money where your mouth is. Do you answer yes to that question?

I don't really want to know what you answer. My point is if you answer no, then you most likely aren't applying that criteria either. Unless you never spun around until you got dizzy as a kid.
For the second time, I am answering the OPs question. I don't see why it would be relevant to him what it do.
 
Common sense says to me this should be a non issue and I should be able to just forget about it. This is the FAA we're talking about here though so IDK if common sense applies. I guess if the question says "unexplained loss of consciousness" like one of the posters above mentioned I can forget about it, nobody made a record or diagnosis anyway it's just going to show I had a checkup that day if anyone looks it up. If I am required to report it then there's nothing that exists for me to show the FAA if they ask for it either...

Seriously, forget about this. Don't make a mountain out of a molehill. It happened to me one time giving blood and it never crossed my mind to make this a medical issue involving the FAA. I know why it happened. I was getting blood drawn. It happens sometimes.
 
It's not my criteria, it's the FAA's. I'm just giving him the facts with which to make a decision, not repeating some vague notion or explained or unexplained, which isn't in the paperwork.
Do you ever go to sleep?
 
MGG-2018-10-19.gif
 
Old Thread: Hello . There have been no replies in this thread for 365 days.
Content in this thread may no longer be relevant.
Perhaps it would be better to start a new thread instead.
Back
Top