The usual site for capillary testing is the ____.

The usual site for capillary testing is the ____.

• A. Plantar foot
• B. Lumbar puncture site
• C. Fingertip
• D. Forearm vein

Answer: (C)

Capillary testing relies on drawing blood from a small, superficial network of capillaries that can provide a quick drop with a simple finger prick. The fingertip is the best site because it has a dense, accessible capillary bed just beneath the skin, allowing fast, easy collection with minimal tissue trauma. This makes it ideal for rapid, small-volume tests like glucose checks. Other sites aren’t suitable for this purpose. The plantar surface of the foot isn’t used routinely in most patients for capillary sampling due to variability in blood flow and practicality, especially in adults. A lumbar puncture site is used to collect cerebrospinal fluid, not blood. The forearm vein is for venipuncture, which draws blood from a vein rather than the capillaries.

Capillary testing relies on drawing blood from a small, superficial network of capillaries that can provide a quick drop with a simple finger prick. The fingertip is the best site because it has a dense, accessible capillary bed just beneath the skin, allowing fast, easy collection with minimal tissue trauma. This makes it ideal for rapid, small-volume tests like glucose checks.

Other sites aren’t suitable for this purpose. The plantar surface of the foot isn’t used routinely in most patients for capillary sampling due to variability in blood flow and practicality, especially in adults. A lumbar puncture site is used to collect cerebrospinal fluid, not blood. The forearm vein is for venipuncture, which draws blood from a vein rather than the capillaries.