NHA Phlebotomy Certification Practice Exam

A phlebotomist may be requested not to transport a specimen through the pneumatic tube system if it is to be tested for:

1. Glucose

2. Cholesterol

3. Creatinine

4. Potassium

The correct answer is: Potassium

When transporting specimens, the integrity of the sample must be maintained to ensure accurate test results. Some analytes are particularly sensitive to changes in temperature or may be affected by turbulence during transport. Potassium is known to be susceptible to hemolysis, which can occur if the specimen is subjected to physical stress, such as that experienced when passing through a pneumatic tube system. Hemolysis can lead to falsely elevated potassium levels in the sample, making the results unreliable. Therefore, it is a standard practice to avoid using pneumatic tubes for potassium tests to preserve the accurate concentration of the analyte in the serum or plasma. The other analytes listed, such as glucose, cholesterol, and creatinine, while they may have specific handling needs, are generally less affected by the physical forces encountered in pneumatic tube systems compared to potassium. This understanding is crucial for phlebotomists to ensure that the specimens they handle yield reliable laboratory results.