Pediatric Blood Collection Flashcards
8 cards from real Phlebotomy Test practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 8 Pediatric Blood Collection flashcards as text
A toddler requires venipuncture but is extremely uncooperative. Which approach is BEST?
Answer: Involve the parent in positioning and comforting while a second person assists in immobilization as needed
Involving the parent for comfort and having a trained assistant for safe immobilization is the recommended approach, minimizing trauma while safely completing the collection.
Microtainer tubes are color-coded the same as adult venipuncture tubes. Which Microtainer tube would be used for a neonatal chemistry panel (BMP)?
Answer: Gold (serum separator with clot activator)
Gold-top Microtainer tubes (serum separator with clot activator) are used for chemistry panels, just as gold/SST tubes are used in adult venipuncture for chemistry testing.
What does 'iatrogenic anemia' mean in the context of neonatal blood collection?
Answer: Anemia resulting from excessive blood removal by medical testing
Iatrogenic anemia in neonates refers to anemia directly caused by repeated blood draws for laboratory testing, which removes significant blood volume from their small total blood volume.
When a pediatric patient has difficult veins, which site is acceptable for venipuncture in children under 12 months?
Answer: Scalp veins (superficial temporal or frontal veins)
Scalp veins are used in neonates and young infants when peripheral limb veins are inaccessible, as they are visible and well-supported for needle access.
A phlebotomist observes petechiae on a child's arm after applying a tourniquet. This finding suggests:
Answer: Possible thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) or capillary fragility
Petechiae (tiny red/purple pinpoint hemorrhages) appearing under a tourniquet indicate thrombocytopenia or capillary fragility—this is a clinically significant unexpected finding.
The saphenous vein is used as a venipuncture site primarily in which pediatric patient?
Answer: Infants when limb veins are inaccessible and scalp veins are not appropriate
The great saphenous vein at the ankle/foot is used in infants when other peripheral sites are exhausted, providing a large, consistently located vein accessible for venipuncture.
A blood specimen is required from a 4-year-old child who has a port-a-cath (implanted venous access device). Who is authorized to access the port for blood collection?
Answer: Only nurses or other clinicians specifically trained and credentialed in central venous access device management
Accessing implanted ports requires specific training in sterile technique, flush protocols, and complication management; only specially credentialed nurses or clinicians should perform this procedure.
Which of the following practices helps to MINIMIZE hemolysis in pediatric capillary blood specimens?
Answer: Allowing the site to warm, avoiding excessive squeezing, and using the correct tube
Warming increases blood flow (reducing squeezing), proper technique prevents tissue fluid contamination, and correct tubes prevent osmotic lysis—all reduce hemolysis.