A patient on anticoagulants presents for venipuncture. What precaution should the MA emphasize?

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Multiple Choice

A patient on anticoagulants presents for venipuncture. What precaution should the MA emphasize?

In patients taking anticoagulants, the main concern is preventing bleeding into the tissue, i.e., a hematoma, after venipuncture. The best approach is to minimize the time the tourniquet is applied and to apply firm pressure after withdrawing the needle. Keeping tourniquet time short reduces the amount of pooled blood that could escape if a vessel is punctured, and applying pressure promptly helps the blood to clot and seals the site, reducing hematoma risk. Increasing tourniquet time would raise the chance of bleeding once a needle puncture occurs, not reduce it. Not applying pressure after withdrawal would allow ongoing bleeding and increase hematoma risk. Using a larger needle would cause more tissue trauma and could worsen bleeding, not shorten insertion time.

In patients taking anticoagulants, the main concern is preventing bleeding into the tissue, i.e., a hematoma, after venipuncture. The best approach is to minimize the time the tourniquet is applied and to apply firm pressure after withdrawing the needle. Keeping tourniquet time short reduces the amount of pooled blood that could escape if a vessel is punctured, and applying pressure promptly helps the blood to clot and seals the site, reducing hematoma risk.

Increasing tourniquet time would raise the chance of bleeding once a needle puncture occurs, not reduce it. Not applying pressure after withdrawal would allow ongoing bleeding and increase hematoma risk. Using a larger needle would cause more tissue trauma and could worsen bleeding, not shorten insertion time.

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