This whole rant started because my son's teacher told his class that de-oxygenated blood is blue - Ok...WTF?

So I'm ranting to a fellow LPN about this and she says "it is blue until it hits oxygen" - Again...WTF???

This is a hot button topic with me...especially when I'm talking to someone who is supposedly a graduate of an accredited nursing school...

So I proceed to explain to her how blood is NEVER blue and that de-oxygenated blood is dark red and oxygenated is bright red and she pops off with "then why are your veins blue?"

Ok,  I shouldn't have to explain something so elementary to a nurse!!!

So I proceed to explain that veins appear blue because you are viewing the dark red blood THROUGH your skin.  I would have gone into more details such as how it doesn't reflect/absorb light wave lengths as well through skin which alters the color appearance, but decided it was a waste of breath on someone who truly thinks blood is blue...

So to try to reason with her I said "when you draw blood into a vacutainer or even a syringe what color is it?"  Her answer "red"

Ok....it's de-oxygenated venous blood...it's red....NOT BLUE

she says "that's because it hits Oxygen" 

At this point, I'm speechless.  There's no oxygen what-so-ever in a syringe....It's a lost cause to continue.

Tonight, I'm fussing to an RN friend about the teacher and I'll be damned if she doesn't say the same Freaking thing!!!

I mean, REALLY???  How the hell did they pass nursing school?????????

Sorry,  I just don't tolerate stupidity in any form very well, and needed to vent.  I just can't believe that TWO fellow nurses both believe blood is blue.  GAH!!!

Maybe I should email them this, lol

http://www.globalclassroom.org/blublud.html

or this

Hemoglobin

Capillary blood from a bleeding finger

Venous blood collected during blood donation

Hemoglobin is the principal determinant of the color of blood in vertebrates. Each molecule has four heme groups, and their interaction with various molecules alters the exact color. In vertebrates and other hemoglobin-using creatures, arterial blood and capillary blood are bright red, as oxygen imparts a strong red color to the heme group. Deoxygenated blood is a darker shade of red; this is present in veins, and can be seen during blood donation and when venous blood samples are taken. Blood in carbon monoxide poisoning is bright red, because carbon monoxide causes the formation of carboxyhemoglobin. In cyanide poisoning, the body cannot utilize oxygen, so the venous blood remains oxygenated, increasing the redness. While hemoglobin-containing blood is never blue, there are several conditions and diseases wherein the color of the heme groups make the skin appear blue. If the heme is oxidized, methaemoglobin, which is more brownish and cannot transport oxygen, is formed. In the rare condition sulfhemoglobinemia, arterial hemoglobin is partially oxygenated, and appears dark red with a bluish hue (cyanosis).

Veins in the skin appear blue for a variety of reasons only weakly dependent on the color of the blood. Light scattering in the skin, and the visual processing of color play roles as well.^[22]

Skinks in the genus Prasinohaema have green blood due to a buildup of the waste product biliverdin.^[23]

[edit] Hemocyanin

The blood of most molluscs — including cephalopods and gastropods — as well as some arthropods, such as horseshoe crabs, is blue, as it contains the copper-containing protein hemocyanin at concentrations of about 50 grams per litre.^[24] Hemocyanin is colorless when deoxygenated and dark blue when oxygenated. The blood in the circulation of these creatures, which generally live in cold environments with low oxygen tensions, is grey-white to pale yellow,^[24] and it turns dark blue when exposed to the oxygen in the air, as seen when they bleed.^[24] This is due to change in color of hemocyanin when it is oxidized.^[24] Hemocyanin carries oxygen in extracellular fluid, which is in contrast to the intracellular oxygen transport in mammals by hemoglobin in RBCs.^[24]

So basically, Unless you are a mollusc, cephalopod or some other sea creature, you don't have blue blood!!

Oh I have seen far stupider things then that happen, which is horrible. I swear some nurse buy their licenses online:(

Dani, I have too unfortunately.  While I was waiting on my license, I was shadowing a nurse and she gave an insulin injection THROUGH the alcohol pad...Um, hello!  I wasn't even licensed yet and I knew that was a No-no!

I'm sure given a little time, I can think of more moronic things I've seen like a nurse giving a cup of meds to a CNA to administer for her...

Or more recently, a nurse injecting .5cc of TB skin test into a CNA's arm instead of the regular .1cc dose.  Obviously she doesn't know how to read.  God knows how many patients she did that to before it was caught!!!

I agree.  They bought them!

WAIT..........VENOUS BLOOD ISN'T BLUE??????????????????????

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA - Just kidding ladies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG that is soooooo freaking funny!!!!!!!!

lol Jessie!    The thing is I've argued with TWO nurses over this!  One LPN and one RN. 

I just find it impossible to think that someone ACTUALLY would think that....

I emailed the above articles to both last night, lol.  I'm considering doing the same to Gav's teacher. (from ignoremail.com of course, so she can't hold a grudge against him, lol)

LOL, I polled hubby's co-workers last night too (at the sheriff's department) and NONE of them said blue, lol. 

Seriously.  Hot-button topic for me. lol

I'm just shocked that anyone in the healthcare field would think this!!!!! My husband is an electrician and never thought blood was blue!! LOL

EXACTLY MY POINT! LOL!

Ha ha ha ha ha.  So I am stressing over a few tests I have this morning and I figured I'd jump on here real quick for a little pick me up because you ladies always make me smile.  I can honestly say that after reading this I feel so much better!!!  I busted out laughing honestly.  Oh ladies, thank you for that and I so agree with what your saying, and I'm still IN nursing school!!!!

scaryyy!