Phlebotomy Exam #1

When performing a capillary puncture, what areas should be avoided? Select All That Apply: - Medial or lateral plantar area of the heel in an infant. -Back of the heel of an adult. -The ring finger of a newborn. -The very tip of the finger of an adult.

-Back of the heel of an adult. -The ring finger of a newborn. -The very tip of the finger of an adult.

Which of the following laboratory tests will NOT be appropriate to be performed on a capillary blood specimen?

-Blood cultures -Prothrombin time (PT)

Which of the following actions WILL cause hemolysis on a capillary specimen?

-Collecting capillary blood from a site where the isopropyl alcohol has not air-dried. -Milking the collection site. -Using a scooping/scraping motion to collect the blood.

What is the greatest challenge in collecting a quality capillary blood sample?

Clotting of sample

Which of the following actions will NOT cause hemolysis on a capillary specimen?

Fast collecting and mixing the sample.

Patient not washing his/her hands

Food residue which may interfere with testing

Not allowing the 70% alcohol to air-dry after cleansing the site

Hemolysis of specimen

Match the following site cleansing error with its consequence for capillary blood collection:

Match the following site cleansing error with its consequence for capillary blood collection:

Not properly cleansing the site before the incision is made with 70% alcohol

Microorganisms could be dropped into the collection tube, contaminating the specimen

John is a phlebotomist collecting a capillary specimen from a geriatric patient. After completing the collection, which of the following labeling options is NOT acceptable?

Placing the tube and label in the bio-hazard transport bag at the patient's bedside

A two-year-old and her mother enter the drawing station for finger capillary blood collection. While the phlebotomist introduces herself and explains the procedure to the child and parent, the child is eating a lollipop. What should the phlebotomist do next?

Politely ask the mother and the child to temporarily stop eating the lollipop and to thoroughly wash and dry the child's hands before proceeding to collect the specimen.

It is important to specify if a blood specimen is a capillary specimen rather than a venous specimen. How will the following laboratory results be affected if a capillary specimen is tested?

Potassium, calcium, and total protein are lower in capillary specimens, where glucose is typically higher than in venous blood.

The laboratory receives red, green, and lavender top capillary specimens for testing from a nine month old patient in the pediatric wing of the hospital. This is the second day for the patient in the hospital and the same tests were performed on the previous day. A delta check is triggered when the platelet count is found to be drastically higher than the first result from the day before. All the other test results were the same. The blood was recollected and all results were the same as earlier in the day. What could be the most likely explanation for the changes in the platelet results?

The lavender specimen from the previous day was not collected first.

A jaundiced newborn's bilirubin values are as follows: What is the explanation for these test results?

The specimen was not protected from light and bilirubin broke down resulting in a false decreased value.

During capillary collection from a young child, which of the following laboratory results may be falsely increased due to excessive crying?

White blood cell (WBC) count

Using providone-iodine based cleansing solutions

Will cause elevated potassium, phosphorus, and uric acid levels