What needle gauge and syringes are commonly used to draw blood?
Syringes are rarely used to draw blood these days, mostly because there is a high risk of a technician accidentally sticking himself or herself. What’s used now is a needle holder onto which a needle screws. It becomes one unit. The standard size needle for drawing blood is a 22 gauge. The largest is probably the 21 gauge but bigger ones can be used. The smallest is a 23 gauge, which is most often the “butterfly” style needle. These are mostly used on people who have very small veins, children or those who are “hard sticks”.
