A nurse is preparing to obtain a blood specimen for laboratory testing from a client's central venous catheter (CVC). A continuous intravenous infusion is currently running through the lumen. Arrange the following steps in the correct chronological order for safely drawing the blood specimen using the discard method.
- 1Pause the continuous intravenous infusion running through the central venous catheter.
- 2Scrub the needleless connector hub with an antiseptic wipe and allow it to dry.
- 3Attach a syringe, aspirate 5 mL of blood, and discard this initial sample.
- 4Attach a new sterile syringe and withdraw the required volume of blood for the specimen.
- 5Flush the catheter lumen with 10 to 20 mL of 0.9% sodium chloride using a pulsatile technique.
- 6Resume the continuous intravenous infusion at the prescribed rate.
Answer
The correct sequence is: Pause the continuous infusion, scrub the connector hub, aspirate and discard the initial 5 mL of blood, withdraw the required specimen, flush the catheter with normal saline, and finally resume the continuous infusion.
To maintain patient safety, specimen integrity, and line patency, the nurse must first stop any fluids that could alter the sample. Strict infection control (scrubbing the hub) is applied next. The discard step guarantees the drawn specimen is pure blood and not diluted with the prior infusion. After the clean sample is collected, the line must be flushed to prevent blood from clotting in the catheter before the continuous therapy is safely resumed.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Central Venous Catheter (CVC) Blood Specimen Collection
Estimated Time:1m 0s