Three Tubes of CSF Are Submitted to the Laboratory

Multiple Choice

Three tubes of CSF are submitted to the laboratory.They are numbered 1,2,and 3 and show blood in all tubes but decreasing in amount as one inspects tubes 1 through 3.This observation should be interpreted as:

A) The tubes were numbered in the wrong sequence, as one would expect increasing amounts of blood
B) A traumatic or bloody tap is suspected and, in all likelihood, no pathogenic significance should be attached to the presence of the blood
C) The pathologic presence of RBCs and reported to the supervisor immediately
D) A pathologic presence of RBCs, but because the RBC morphology is normal there is minimal importance