PAGE EXPIRES:  June 2000

SYNONYMS:  CBC; Blood Cell Profile; Blood Count; Hemogram

COMPONENT TESTS:  Red Blood Cell Count; Hematocrit; White blood Cell Count

SCHEDULE:  Routine turnaround time: <= 8 hr  

SPECIMEN AND COLLECTION REQUIREMENTS:  

CAUSES FOR REJECTION:  Improperly labeled; specimen hemolyzed; specimen clotted; diluted with IV fluid; collection tube not filled to minimum volume.

STORAGE:  Maintain specimen at room temperature.

USES:  Evalutation of anemia, leukemia, reaction to inflammation and infections, periferal blood cellular characteristics, state of hydration and dehydration, polycythemia, hemolytic disease of the newborn, and ABO incompatibilities.

NORMAL VALUES:  

METHOD:  Automated cell counter

DESCRIPTION AND INTERPRETATION

Red Blood Cell Count (Erythrocyte Count):  Component tests reports the number of red blood cells (RBCs) present in a microliter (cubic millimeter) of anitcoagulated whole blood.  The RBC count alone provides no qualitative information regarding the size and shape of the corpuscles or the concentration of hemoglobin contained within, but is used to calculate the two erythrocyte indices mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH).

Hematocrit:  Measures the percentage by volume of packed RBCs in a whole blood sample.  Hematocrit is most commonly determined by electronic measurement rather than by the older centrifugation techniques.  The test results are used in the calculation of MCV (mean corpuscular volume, see above) and the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC).

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