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Blood test

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide

The risks associated with having blood drawn are slight:

• Excessive bleeding
• Fainting or feeling light-headed
• Hematoma (blood accumulating under the skin)
• Infection (a slight risk any time the skin is broken)
• Multiple punctures to locate veins

Veins and arteries vary in size from one patient to another and from one side of the body to the other. Obtaining a blood sample from some people may be more difficult than from others.

Review Date: 05/17/2005
Reviewed By: Nikheel S. Kolatkar, M.D., Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Hypertension, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.