Question

You are in the process of collecting a blood specimen. The needle is inserted but the tube is filling very slowly. A hematoma starts to form rapidly. What has most likely happened is that the:

Answer 1

When a hematoma rapidly forms during blood collection, it is likely due to the needle only partially puncturing the blood vessel. This allows blood to escape the vessel and pool in surrounding tissues, forming a hematoma. At the same time, blood clotting processes initiate to prevent further blood loss.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the scenario presented, where a blood specimen is being collected and the tube is filling very slowly, you are observing a hematoma forming rapidly, it is most likely due to the needle partially puncturing the blood vessel. When this occurs, blood is able to escape the vessel, leading to the formation of a hematoma, or pool of blood outside of the vessel. This issue can arise because blood is not filling the tube quickly due to the incomplete puncture, which allows some blood to escape into the surrounding tissue instead of entering the tube. At the same time, platelets start collecting at the site in conjunction with other clotting factors, such as fibrinogen, to form a fibrin clot. This process aims to prevent more blood loss and aids in wound healing.

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