Final answer:
To avoid an arterial puncture, healthcare professionals should palpate veins and avoid pulsatile arteries when selecting a venipuncture site. They should also use the correct technique for blood pressure measurement with a blood pressure cuff to differentiate between veins and arteries without puncturing them.
Step-by-step explanation:
To avoid an arterial puncture, a healthcare professional should first correctly identify an appropriate vein for venipuncture rather than an artery. This is typically done by palpating the vein, looking for a structure that feels bouncy rather than the pulsatile feeling experienced with arteries. A well-known technique for measuring blood pressure involves using a blood pressure cuff attached to a measuring device and a stethoscope. The clinician wraps the cuff around the patient's arm and inflates it, which temporarily obstructs blood flow in the arm's artery to measure blood pressure without puncturing the vessel.
Manual palpation to locate a pulse can assist in differentiating veins from arteries, with common palpation sites including the radial and brachial arteries. Clinicians should avoid these pulsatile areas when choosing a site for venipuncture to prevent an accidental arterial puncture.
For treating cardiovascular diseases such as clogged arteries, various procedures exist, such as angioplasty, where a balloon catheter is used to widen the artery, or surgical options like endarterectomy and coronary bypass surgery.