NHA Phlebotomy Certification Practice Exam

To prevent blood from clotting, what must be done to the specimen?

1. Centrifuge immediately after collection

2. Maintain room temperature

3. Keep it in a heavy insulated container

4. Both A and B

The correct answer is: Both A and B

To prevent blood from clotting, specific handling of the specimen is essential. Centrifugation immediately after collection is crucial because it separates the cellular components of the blood from the plasma or serum. Without this step, blood will naturally clot, making it challenging to obtain the desired fractions for testing. Maintaining the specimen at room temperature is also important, particularly if testing is not performed promptly. Temperature fluctuations can affect the stability of certain analytes and may interfere with test results. Therefore, keeping the specimen at room temperature helps preserve its integrity until it can be processed. The combined approach of immediate centrifugation and proper temperature management ensures that the specimen remains in a state conducive to accurate testing and analysis, preventing clot formation effectively. Thus, both actions are necessary to achieve the goal of avoiding clotting in the blood sample.