Chapter 8 Review

What is the recommended angle of needle insertion when performing venipuncture on an arm vein and on a hand vein, respectively?

30 degrees or less, 10 degrees or less

After cleaning the venipuncture site with alcohol, the phlebotomist should

Allow the alcohol to dry completely

Which of the following is the least effective way to immobilize a pediatric patient before a blood draw

Allowing the child to sit w/one arm bracing the other

The tourniquet should be released

As soon as blood flow is established, before needle removal from the arm, within 1 minute of its application

When should additive tubes be mixed

As soon as they are removed from the holder

You are a phlebotomy student on rotation at an outpatient site. A patient who seems extremely apprehensive about having her blood drawn tells you that she is afraid of needles. What should you do?

Ask an experienced phlebotomist to perform the draw for you.

You have made two unsuccessful attempts while trying to collect an ASAP specimen on an inpatient. The specimen cannot be collected by skin puncture. What should you do next?

Ask another phlebotomist to collect it

You are asked to collect a blood specimen from an inpatient. The patient is not wearing an ID band. What is the best thing to do?

Ask the patient's nurse to put an ID band on the patient before you draw the specimen

Which type of test requisition has been shown to decrease laboratory errors?

Bar coded

A member of the clergy is w/the patient when you arrive to collect a routine specimen. What should you do?

Come back after the clergy person is gone

An inpatient is eating breakfast when you arrive to collect a fasting glucose. What is the best thing to do

Consult with the patient's nurse to see if the specimen should be collected

The time is 0750 hours. You have received the following test requests on different patients. Which test specimen should you collect first?

Cortisol ordered for 0800

Which type of patient is most likely to have an arteriovenous fistula or graft?

Dialysis

You are in the process of identifying an inpatient. The patient's verbal confirmation of name and date of birth matches the requisition, but the medical record number is different. What should you do?

Do not collect the specimen until the problem has been addressed and resolved

There are two patients in a room. One of them has a latex allergy. You have a request to collect a blood specimen on the other one. How should you proceed?

Do not take anything that contains latex into the room

You are performing a venipuncture on a difficult vein using a butterfly. You have an SST and a light blue top tube to collect. How do you proceed?

Draw a clear tube, fill and mix the light-blue top, then fill and mix the SST

Interventions to ease pain in collecting blood specimens from infants include

EMLA

You have a request to collect a stat specimen. A doctor is with the patient when you arrive. What should you do?

Excuse yourself and politely ask the doctor if you can do the draw.

What is the best approach to use on an 8-year-old child who needs to have blood drawn>

Explain the draw in simple terms and ask for the child's cooperation

Which of the following statements describes proper venipuncture technique?

Fill additive tubes until the vacuum is exhausted

A vein that has patency

Has a bounce or resilience to it

Blood collection tubes are labeled

Immediately after specimen collection

Which of the following is proper procedure when dealing w/an elderly patient?

Make certain to hold adequate pressure after the draw until bleeding stops.

What is the most critical error a phlebotomist can make?

Misidentifying a patient specimen

If a patient adamantly refuses to have blood drawn, you should

Notify the patient's nurse or physician

Which of the following is required requisition information

Ordering physicians name, patients first and last names, and type of test to be performed

Which type of disease is most likely to cause tremors

Parkinson

Where is the tourniquet applied when drawing a hand vein?

Proximal to the wrist bone

Which of the following is proper procedure when dealing w/an elderly adult patient?

Refrain from drawing older adult patients if you have a cold, or else wear a mask.

The best way to judge patency of a vein is to

Roll your finger from side to side while pressing against it

The following test orders for different patients have been received at the same time. Which test would you collect first?

STAT glucose in the ER

After inserting a butterfly needle, the phlebotomist must "seat" it, meaning

Slightly thread it within the lumen of the vein

Which needle can be removed from the blood collection unit before disposal?

Syringe needle

Criteria used to decide which needle gauge to used for venipuncture include

The size and condition of the vein

Specimen hemolysis can result from

Using a large-volume tube with a 23-gauge needle

A student asks the patient for permission to draw a blood specimen. Which of the following answers implies that the student does not really have permission?

Yes, but I would rather not

Skin changes in elderly patients can make it harder to

anchor veins

How can you tell that you are in a vein when drawing blood with a butterfly

blood usually appears in the tubing

NPO means:

nothing by mouth

The proper way to transfer blood from a syringe into an ETS tube is to

safely remove the needle and attach a transfer device to fill the tube