A nurse cares for a client who is prescribed a serum catecholamine test. Which action should the nurse take when obtaining the sample?
a. Discard the first sample and then begin the collection.
b. Draw the blood sample after the client eats breakfast.
c. Place the sample on ice and send to the laboratory immediately.
d. Add preservatives before sending the sample to the laboratory.
ANS: C
A blood sample for catecholamine must be placed on ice and taken to the laboratory immediately. This sample is not urine, and therefore the first sample should not be discarded nor should preservatives be added to the sample. The nurse should use the appropriate tube and obtain the sample based on which drugs are administered, not dietary schedules.
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