ASCP Venipuncture Complications and Special Procedures Flashcards

For a two-hour oral glucose tolerance test (GTT), specimens are collected:

Answer: At fasting baseline and at timed intervals after glucose ingestion

A GTT requires a fasting baseline specimen followed by timed collections (typically at 1 and 2 hours) after the patient drinks the glucose solution.

Which specimen collection method is used for newborn screening (e.g., PKU testing)?

Answer: Heel stick capillary collection onto filter paper

Heel stick capillary collection onto filter paper cards is used for newborn screening because neonatal veins are too small for safe venipuncture.

A therapeutic drug monitoring specimen should be collected:

Answer: At the peak or trough level as specified by the physician's order

Drug monitoring requires collection at the prescribed time (peak or trough) because reference ranges are time-dependent.

The recommended minimum number of blood culture sets collected from separate venipuncture sites is:

Answer: Two sets from two separate venipuncture sites

Collecting two sets from two different sites reduces false positives from skin contamination and increases pathogen detection sensitivity.

When collecting a urine specimen for culture from a patient with an indwelling urinary catheter, the specimen should be obtained by:

Answer: Aspirating directly from the catheter sampling port using a sterile syringe

Catheter port aspiration with a sterile syringe provides an uncontaminated specimen, while drainage bags harbor bacterial overgrowth over time.

A two-hour postprandial glucose specimen should be collected exactly:

Answer: Two hours after the patient begins eating their meal

A postprandial glucose is timed from the start of the meal, not from when the patient finishes eating, to assess glucose metabolism accurately.