California Phlebotomy Certification Practice Exam

What type of error should a technician expect if they draw blood through a hematoma?

1. Clogging of the needle

2. Hemolysis

3. Incorrect blood type

4. Low red blood cell count

The correct answer is: Hemolysis

When blood is drawn through a hematoma, the process can lead to hemolysis, which is the destruction of red blood cells. This occurs because a hematoma contains blood that has leaked out of vessels and clotted in surrounding tissues. When a technician attempts to draw blood from this area, the presence of clotted or damaged blood can result in the rupture of red blood cells as they are pulled into the collection tube, contaminating the sample with cell debris. Hemolysis affects the quality of the blood sample and can lead to erroneous laboratory results, such as falsely elevated potassium levels or decreased red blood cell counts in the analysis. In contrast, drawing blood through a hematoma does not typically result in clogging of the needle, an incorrect blood type, or a low red blood cell count attributed solely to the technique. Clogging of the needle is usually due to particulate matter or clot formation within the needle itself, while incorrect blood typing is related more to mislabeling or collecting blood from the wrong patient. A low red blood cell count may be noted in a hematoma, but it is not a direct consequence of the blood draw procedure itself. Thus, hemolysis is the most relevant and direct outcome in this scenario.