To draw blood from a patient on IV therapy when both arms are in use, what is the recommended approach?

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Multiple Choice

To draw blood from a patient on IV therapy when both arms are in use, what is the recommended approach?

When drawing blood from a patient with an IV running, the aim is to avoid contamination of the sample with IV fluid and keep results accurate. The best approach is to briefly pause the infusion to stop new IV fluid from entering the line, then draw from the vein distal to the IV site (below the catheter) and discard the first portion of blood (about 5 mL). This clears any residual IV fluid before collecting the sample. Drawing from the IV line or from above the catheter would still mix IV solution into the specimen, and stopping the infusion completely isn’t needed if you can safely pause it for a short time.

When drawing blood from a patient with an IV running, the aim is to avoid contamination of the sample with IV fluid and keep results accurate. The best approach is to briefly pause the infusion to stop new IV fluid from entering the line, then draw from the vein distal to the IV site (below the catheter) and discard the first portion of blood (about 5 mL). This clears any residual IV fluid before collecting the sample. Drawing from the IV line or from above the catheter would still mix IV solution into the specimen, and stopping the infusion completely isn’t needed if you can safely pause it for a short time.

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