Complete Blood Count Flashcards
What are the 8 parts of a CBC?
- Total RBC count
- Total WBC count
- Pack Cell Volume (PCV)
- Total Protein
- Hemoglobin Concentration
- Reticulocyte count
- RBC Indicies
- Blood Film Evaluation
What are the ways to count Total RBCs?
- manually
- automated
How do you manually count RBCs?
- hemocytometer
- unopette
- always in microliters!
How are RBCs counted automated?
- CBC machine (Laser Cyte)
- counts by size
What is the average size of a canine RBC?
7 microns in diameter
Where is a manual RBC counted?
super square
What is in the Unopette when counting RBCs?
saline
What is in the Unopette when counting WBCs?
acetic acid
What does acetic acid do?
lyses anuclear cells (RBCs)
Where do you count the WBCs when counting manually?
- Corners
- super square
What are the 2 types of WBCs?
- agranulocytes
- granulocytes
What does a decrease in RBCs mean?
anemia
What is the normal numbers for RBC count?
always in the millions
What are the normal numbers for WBC counts?
always in the thousands
What messes up manual counting of WBCs?
Nucleated RBCs
What can be confused for WBCs in automated counting?
platelet clumps
What does an increase in WBCs mean?
- infection
- inflammation
What does a decrease in WBCs mean?
- immunosuppression
- overwhelming infection (Parvo)
What is a PCV counting?
% of RBCs in a centrifuged blood sample
What is the only way to determine PCV?
manually
What is Serum?
-clear fluid that comes out of cuts
What does a increased PCV mean?
dehydration
What does a decrease in PCV mean?
anemia
What gives more info: PCV or Total RBC count?
PCV
What is the normal PCV range for a canine?
37-55%
What is the normal PCV range for feline?
30-45%
Does a normal PCV always mean a healthy patient?
no
What is the normal color of plasma/serum?
- clear
- straw
What is cloudy plasma/serum?
- lipemic
- fat=chylomicrons
- after eating:post prandial
What is pink/red plasma/serum?
hemolyzed
What is creamy pink plasma/serum?
lipemia caused hemolysis
What is yellow plasma/serum?
icteric
Where do you measure a PCV?
below buffy coat
What is a hematocrit?
- same as PCV
- more accurate
- %
- Ratio of RBCs Vs. volume of plasma
What is the normal range for Total Protein?
6.0-7.5 g/dL
What is in Total Plasma Protien?
- albumin
- globulin
- fibrinogen
What are Globulins?
- complex group of proteins
- includes antibodies
What is Fibrinogen?
- contains 1/3 clotting factors
- converted to fibrin
What is in Total Serum Protein?
- albumin
- globulins
What does a decrease in Total Protein mean?
liver failure/disease
What does a increase in Total Protein mean?
kidney disease
What is Heme?
iron
What is Globin?
-protein (amino acids)
How is Hemoglobin Concentration counted manually?
Hemoglobinometer
What does a decrease in Hemoglobin mean?
iron deficency (anemia)
What is in a molecule of Hemoglobin?
- 4 hemes
- 1 globin
- can hold 4 oxygen molecules
What is the Rule of Thumb for Hemoglobin Concentration?
= 1/3 of PCV
-ex: 36% PCV = 12g/dL (hemoglobin)
What is a Reticulocyte?
- immature RBC
- Pluripotent———->Reticulocyte–>Mature RBC
(right before mature)
What are Aggregates?
- contains residual DNA
- only visible when stained with New Methylene Blue
What is the procedure for a Reticulocyte Count?
- Equal amounts of blood to New Methylene Blue
- Red Top Tube
- Wait 10 minutes
- Blood Smear
- count 1000 RBCs
Where are Aggregates found?
regenerative anemia
What does an increase in Reticulocytes mean?
regenerative anemia
What type of Reticulocytes do dogs have?
-only Aggregates
What animal doesn’t release Reticulocytes?
horses
What type of Reticulocytes do cats have?
- Aggregates
- Punctate
What Reticulocyte do you count in cats?
Aggregates only
What are Punctates?
almost mature Reticulocytes
What are Polychromatophils?
- darker
- larger
What is Anisocytosis?
variation in size
What is Polychromasia?
variation in color
What is Reticulocytosis?
lots of Reticulocytes in the blood
What are the 3 RBC Indicies?
- Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH)
- Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV)
- Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC)
What is Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH)?
- average weight of hemoglobin in RBC
- least accurate
- measured in picograms (pg)
What is Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV)?
- average volume/size of RBC in blood sample
- measured in femtoliters (fL)
What does a decreased MCV mean?
smaller than normal RBC
What does a increased MCV mean?
larger than normal RBC
What is Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC)?
- ratio of weight of hemoglobin in the volume in which it is contained
- measured in grams per deciliter (g/dL)
- most accurate
What is a Blood Film Evaluation?
- has to be done manually?
- uses blood smear
What can a Blood Film Evaluation do?
- WBC differential count
- Morphology observation
- Platelet estimation
What is a WBC Differential Count?
- counts out of 100
- counts the different WBCs
- measured in %
What are Relative Values?
- % of each type of WBC
- counted out of 100
- has no clinical signifcance
- no diagnostic value
What are Absolute Values?
- number of each type of WBC in a microliter of blood
- diagnostic
- 10,000 microliters
How do you calculate Absolute Values?
multiplying the relative value (%) by the total WBC count
What are Morphology Observations?
- study of shape
- RBC, WBC. Platelets
What is observed in a Morphology Observation?
- RBCs: inclusions, heinz bodies, howell jolly bodies, basophilic stippling, polychromasia, anisocytosis, polychromasia, etc
- WBCs:Band cells, toxic neutrophils, giant neutrophils, parasites, activated cells
What is Platelet Estimation?
- used for clotting
- for before surgery
Where do Platelets come from ?
- parent cell: Megakaryote
- breaks into 1,000 to 5,000 segments
How do you count Platelets?
- count in 10 HPF (high powered fields)
- everything you see in 1sq of microscope
- 100X
- oil immersion
- Battlement Pattern!!
What formula do you use to determine Platelet Estimation?
- add all HPFs together
- divide
- multiply by 20,000
- measured in microliters
What are the normal numbers of Platelets?
Hundreds of Thousands
What does a decrease in Platelets mean?
thrombocytopenia (not enough)
What does an increase in Platelets mean?
Thrombocytosis (too many)
What is the equation used for MCH?
(Hemoglobin / Total RBC count) X 10 = (picograms)
What is the normal MCH range for canine?
19-24pg
What is the normal MCH range for feline?
12-17pg
What is the equation for MCV?
(PCV / Total RBCs) X 10 = fL
What is the normal MCV range for canine?
60-77 fL
What is the normal MCV for feline?
40-55 fL
What is MCV used for?
- classifying anemia (increase)
- compare to normal range
What is a larger than normal MCV ?
macrocytic
What is a normal MCV?
normocytic
What is a decrease in MCV?
microcytic
What is the equation for MCHC?
(Hemoglobin / PCV) X 100 = g/dL
What is the normal MCHC range for cats and dogs?
30-36 g/dL
What is a decrease in MCHC?
hypocrhomic
What is a normal MCHC?
normochromatic
What is a increase in MCHC?
- impossible
- called artifact
What are the 3 factors that can cause artifacts in MCHC?
- hemolysis
- Heinz bodies
- lipemia
What is Hyperchromasia?
- excessive color
- occurs in : nucleated RBCs, Polychromatophils
What are the 2 Rules of Thumb?
- Total RBC count is 1/6th of PCV
PCV / 6 = RBCs
-Hemoglobin concentration is 1/3 of PCV
PCV / 3 = HB
Red Top Tube
Additive: Nothing
M.O.A: -allows clotting, -yields serum
Common Uses: -Clinical chemistry pannels, -sterile collection of samples
Tiger Topped Tube
AKA: Mottled Red/Black
Additive: Serum Seperator
M.O.A:Seperates serum from cells
Common Uses: Clinical chemistry pannels
Lavendar Top
Additive: EDTA
M.O.A: Prevents clotting by binding to calcium
Common Uses: Hematology studies
Green Top
Additive: Heparin
M.O.A: Prevents the conversion of prothrombin to thrombin
Common Uses: STAT chem pannels, electrolyte test, coating needles and flushing catheters
Blue Top
Additive: Citrate (Sodium, Calcium, etc)
M.O.A: Binds to Calcium
Common Uses: Coagulation tests, collection of blood for transfusions
What is the #1 choice in Chemistry Panels?
Serum
What is the #1 choice for Hematology Studies?
EDTA
What is never used for clinical chemistry panels?
EDTA
What kind of PCV would a dehydrated animal have?
Increased
What cells are in the Buffy Coat?
WBCs
Platelets
What is Hematopoiesis?
production of RBCs
What size buffy coat would a patient with an infection have?
long
What cytokine is responsible for production of RBCs?
erythropoietin
What is Plasma?
contains clotting factors
What is Serum?
no clotting factors
What are Neubaur rulings?
etched lines in hemacytometer
What is the center square on the hemacytometer?
super square