A medical assistant is in the lab. He is looking at a specimen he drew earlier. He is concerned that he may have done something wrong because this specimen was supposed to be for serum studies and the serum appears cloudy and milky. What could have happened to this specimen?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The specimen more than likely is reflecting the patients recent meal. The cloudiness of the specimen may also indicate that the patient was not in basal state or, rarely, the presence of bacteria. Lipemia (excessive fats in the blood) is commonly seen after a person consumes fatty foods. This specimen may be clinically significant of the patients' disease or disorder if it was not a fasting test. However, if this test was ordered as a fasting test, Phil should be concerned, because he should not have drawn the specimen if the patient had eaten during the fasting period or Phil should be concerned because he did not confirm the fasting status with the patient. If the patient told Phil he had eaten during the fasting period, Phil should notify the ordering physician. If the physician decides the specimen should still be drawn, regardless of fasting status, Phil should note on "non-fasting" on the requisition slip.

A Medical Assistant Is in the Lab