After arterial blood has been drawn from a patient, which of the following should be done to the blood?
a. Transported at 37° C c. Transported in an ice bath
b. Processed after 5 minutes d. Placed in the freez-er until processed
ANS: C
Chilling the blood specimen to below 5° C by placing the syringe in ice water can reduce the metabolic rate of the white blood cells. Transporting without the ice bath may take longer than 5 minutes, prolonging the delay between obtaining and analyzing the specimen, which can lead to erroneous results. Placing the blood in a freezer will not cool all sides of the syringe as uniformly as an ice water bath.
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