Hematocrit Information and Courses from MediaLab, Inc.
These are the MediaLab courses that cover Hematocrit and links to relevant pages within the course.
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| Which of the following patients represents an acceptable donor. | View Page |
| The accepted interval between blood donations is: | View Page |
| A simple check which can be employed to verify that hemoglobin and hematocrit values match would be: | View Page |
| Hematocrit is: | View Page |
| MCV is calculated using which of the following parameters: | View Page |
| Which of the following observations would best explain why a peripheral blood smear is exhibiting polychromasia: | View Page |
| The ratio of whole blood to anticoagulant is very important in the PT assay; at which hematocrit level should the standard anticoagulant volume be adjusted: | View Page |
| Case History A 63 year old man was seen in the emergency room with the complaints of sudden onset of fever, chills, and abdominal pain, accompanied by mild diarrhea. The blood pressure was 140/84, the pulse rate 82/minute, and the body temperature 39.8C. A blood sample was drawn for a complete blood count, and a blood culture.A second blood culture was drawn from the opposite arm, with 10 ml of blood being placed into each an aerobic and an anaerobic bottle, following customary practice.The complete blood count revealed a hemoglobin of 15.8 mg/dl, a hematocrit of 45%, and a white blood count of 4.2/L. The neutrophils were 39%, lymphocytes 45%, monocytes 10%, eosinophils 4% and basophils 2%. The platelet count was 255/L. The patient was admitted to the hospital for further work-up and empiric antibiotic therapy.Within 24 hours after admission, the body temperature had decreased to 38.2C, although the mild diarrhea persisted.A stool toxin test for Clostridium difficile was negative and neither enteric pathogens nor Campylobacter species were recovered in stool culture after 24 hours incubation. Fecal neutrophils were not seen on direct examination.
The anaerobic blood culture became positive 36 hours after inoculation. | View Page |
| Hemogram (CBC) Also known as Complete Blood Count (CBC) and is run on whole blood.Blood is tested for quantity and quality of different blood cell types, including:
White Blood Cells (WBC Count)
Red Blood Cells (RBC Count)
Platelets (Platelet Count)
Blood is also tested for hemoglobin & hematocrit (H&H).
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| A 5-year-old girl was brought to a physician's office because of fever and viral-type illness symptoms. Her blood pressure was elevated.Hemogram: hemoglobin 9.1g/dL (normal 12.0 - 16.0 g/dL), hematocrit 28% (normal 37 - 48%), MCV 80 fl (normal 86 - 98 fl), RDW 13.1% (normal 11 - 15%), platelets 90.1 X 109/L (normal 150 - 450 X 109/L) WBC 9.6x109/L (normal 4.3 - 10.8 x 109/L).The peripheral blood smear is represented in the photograph.Which of the following are the most likely associated conditions? | View Page |
| Atypical smear: Case follow-up The patient whose blood smear is shown in the photograph was a 32-year-old female from Virginia who came to the high country of Colorado to ski. The day after arrival, she experienced shortness of breath, fatigue, and upper abdominal pain. She was seen in a medical center in the mountains where a working diagnosis of altitude sickness was made. A CBC revealed RBCs 5.1 x 1012/L, hemoglobin 12.8g/dL, MCV 60fL, hematocrit 40.9%, and normal total WBC, differential, and platelet count. The RDW was normal. Further questioning revealed a previous diagnosis of heterozygous beta-chain thalassemia. No other abnormal hemoglobins were found on hemoglobin electrophoresis, but HbA-2 was elevated to 5%, supporting the diagnosis of beta thalassemia. The patient's poikylocytosis and anisocytosis may be a clue to an underlying erythrocyte abnormality. Persons with iron deficiency anemia may experience various degrees of hypoxia upon arriving at high altitudes. Those with sickle cell disease and thalassemia minor (as in this case) may experience bone pain or other symptoms of "crisis" and/or alteration in the appearance of their erythrocytes upon sudden high altitude exposure. The classic teaching is that in differentiating iron deficiency anemia from thalassemia, increased RDW would favor iron deficiency; normal RDW favors thalassemia. | View Page |
| The MCHC value is 39 gm/dl of RBC. Which of the following is the most likely explanation? | View Page |
| Another Example of Hyperchromia Another example of "hyperchromic" cells seen at the edge of a smear. If MCHC is above 36 gms/dl of RBC, recheck hemoglobin and hematocrit; technical error is most likely the cause.
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| A patient has a WBC count of 4,000/mm3, platelet estimation is 3 bizarre platelets/oil immersion field, hemoglobin, hematocrit, red cell count and indice values are within normal limits. Blue staining inclusions are seen in the cytoplasm of many neutrophils. These inclusions fit the description of: | View Page |
| A peripheral blood smear is submitted for morphology review. The patient is a 10 year-old boy with symptoms suggesting appendicitis and an appendectomy is being considered. The total WBC is 18.5 X 1000/uL, RBC's = 5.45 X 1M/uL, hemoglobin = 16.0 g/dL, hematocrit 48.2%;wbc differential: Segs = 53%, bands = 42% (two of which are shown in the photograph), monocytes = 2%, and lymphocytes= 2%. These findings support the diagnosis of appendicitis. | View Page |