- The Blood Draw
In order to draw blood the person who actually draws the blood from a person
arrested for DUI must be qualified to do blood draws. This person performing the
blood draw properly cleans the skin before the needle was inserted as if isopropyl
alcohol to clean the site could contaminate the blood sample. Given the time most
DUI stops take place it is not unusual for a police officer, who has been sent to courses to become a phlebotomists, to be the one to draw
the blood from your arm.
- Testing Sample
A criminal case on alcohol concentration is with whole blood that is composed of
all the cellular material required for an accurate alcohol concentration result. This
is unlike in a hospital's test of serum or plasma for the presence of alcohol where the
same is centrifuged to remove the cellular material as it is less messy than testing
whole blood. This process artificially increases the concentration of alcohol in the
liquid due to the reduction of the sample which can lead to an improperly higher test
result.
- Hematocrit
A person's whole blood is made up of cellular material which is a percentage of
hematocrit and the remaining is plasma. Now if someone had a Hematocrit above
50%, they tested plasma. Hospital records will usually show Hematocrit.
- Blood Test Kits
These test tubes have expiration dates on them when the manufactured (NIK Public
Safety Inc) the vacuum in the test tube is no longer warranted and can be
contaminated. These vacutainer tubes contain a preservative (Sodium Fluoride - 100mg) and an anticoagulant (Potassium Oxalate - 20mg) that are salting out agents
that help the alcohol get out of the liquid and into the vapor for testing and
mixing properly.
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