Lab Investigation of The FBC Flashcards
List the different common abbreviations found on a blood test.
FBC: full blood count
Hb: concentration of haemoglobin
Hct: percentage of blood volume as RBC
MCV: the average size of a RBC
MCH: the average haemoglobin content of a RBC
RDW: range of deviation around RBC size
Reticulocyte count: how many reticulocytes are present
What other blood tests are performed, besides on RBCs?
WHITE BLOOD CELL RESULTS:
- total WBC and differential
- neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes,
basophils, eosinophils
PLATELET RESULTS:
- platelet count and size
OTHERS: WARNING FLAGS
- this is when the machine detects cells that shouldn’t be there
What does a blood film tell us?
It confirms the numbers of cells in the sample.
It also gives us information about the morphology of the cells - do they look ‘normal’?
