NHA Phlebotomy Certification Practice Exam

Using an evacuated tube after its expiration date may lead to all of the following except?

1. A short draw

2. A clotted specimen

3. A lipemic specimen

4. A contaminated specimen

The correct answer is: A short draw

Using an evacuated tube after its expiration date typically results in various issues impacting the quality of the specimen collected. However, a short draw—where the tube does not fill to the appropriate level—may not necessarily be a direct result of the tube being past its expiration date. Evacuated tubes are designed to maintain a specific vacuum that aids in drawing the correct volume of blood. While the expiration date may affect the vacuum integrity over time, other factors often influence a short draw, such as the patient's vein status or the specific technique used by the phlebotomist. Therefore, while there is a possibility that an expired tube might result in a short draw, it is not a definitive consequence like clotting or contamination of the specimen. In contrast, using an expired tube is more likely to lead to a clotted specimen, lipemic specimen, or contamination due to the deterioration of the additives or the potential for the vacuum to fail, which affects the specimen quality and reliability of test results.