Final answer:
b) Keep the blood in a dark container To protect light-sensitive blood constituents, a phlebotomist should keep the blood in a dark container. This protects the integrity of the sample for accurate testing.
Step-by-step explanation:
To protect blood constituents that are light-sensitive, the phlebotomist should keep the blood in a dark container. Exposure to light can degrade or alter certain components of the blood, which could affect the integrity of the blood sample and the accuracy of any tests that are performed on it.When a lab technician collects a blood sample in a glass tube and harvests serum after about an hour, they are allowing time for the blood to clot and the serum to separate from the clotted cells. This process is essential to perform various diagnostic tests on the serum without the interference of other blood components.If a patient with multiple traumatic injuries requires a blood transfusion without knowing their blood type, the universally accepted blood type O negative is transfused, due to its compatibility with all other blood types.
In contrast, during a scheduled surgery preparation, a technician determines a patient's blood type by adding anti-A and anti-B antibodies to the blood sample which agglutinates in both, indicating the patient has type AB bloodThe antibody screening test performed with pretransfusion blood typing ensures that the patient is not producing antibodies against non-ABO or Rh system antigens. This is vital for the safety and compatibility of a blood transfusion.Phlebotomists, who are trained professionals in drawing blood, use several blood collection methods like venipuncture and capillary sticks. Post-collection, blood may be used for medical analysis, transfusions, or other research and clinical purposes.