CBC Methods & RBC Analytics

Question 1

what color blood tube can be used for CBC

Answer 1

purple

Question 2

what color blood tube can be used for a serum electrolyte panel

Answer 2

red

Question 3

what color blood tube can be used for a clotting profile

Answer 3

blue

Question 4

what color blood tube can be used for a whole blood chemistry

Answer 4

green

Question 5

what type of anti-coagulant is in the red top tubes

Answer 5

none

Question 6

what type of anti-coagulant is in the purple top tubes

Answer 6

EDTA

Question 7

what type of anti-coagulant is in the blue top tubes

Answer 7

sodium citrate

Question 8

what type of anti-coagulant is in the gray top tubes

Answer 8

oxylate

Question 9

what type of anti-coagulant is in the green top tube

Answer 9

heparin

Question 10

which anti-coagulants / tubes bind with calcium

Answer 10

purple (EDTA)
blue (sodium citrate)

Question 11

what are the advantages of whole blood chemistries v. plasma or serum chems?

Answer 11

quick
no waiting for clotting

Question 12

what 3 things are focused on a CBC

Answer 12

leukogram
erythrogram
thrombogram

Question 13

what is the ‘most important’ part / focus of the CBC

Answer 13

erythrogram

Question 14

how are RBCs counted in a CBC

Answer 14

impedance counting

Question 15

what is measured with the ‘RBC’ count

Answer 15

erythrocyte concentration

Question 16

what 3 things are used to reflect RBC mass in peripheral blood

Answer 16

Hct
Hgb
RBC

Question 17

what is determined by the volume of RBCs

Answer 17

Hct %

Question 18

what is the general rule to determine Hgb and Hct

Answer 18

Hgb x 3 = Hct

Question 19

true or false:
if RBC mass in blood decreases, Hct and Hgb will increase

Answer 19

false
they all move together

Question 20

what does pTP mean

Answer 20

plasma total protein

Question 21

what are used in the Wintrobe RBC indices

Answer 21

MCV
MCHC
MCH

Question 22

what is MVC

Answer 22

mean cell volume

Question 23

what is the measurement used for MCV

Answer 23

average volume of RBCs

Question 24

what does MCV measure

Answer 24

each RBCs volume and averages it

Question 25

what are things that can impede the results of a MCV

Answer 25

large platelets v small RBCs agglutinated RBCs

Question 26

what can agglutination of RBCs cause in a MCV

Answer 26

false increase of MCV

Question 27

true or false: just because the MCV is WRI, you should look at the blood film

Answer 27

true the sizes of the RBCs can show you macro and micro RBCs which could indicated disease

Question 28

what does MCHC measure

Answer 28

average Hgb in RBC

Question 29

when is Hgb measured

Answer 29

spectrophotometer after RBCs are lysed in patient's tube

Question 30

what can be used to determine O2 carrying capacity

Answer 30

Hgb

Question 31

what can be used to reflect Hgb/Fe synthesis within RBCs

Answer 31

MCHC

Question 32

what does MCH measure

Answer 32

average Hgb content per RBC

Question 33

true or false MCH is a clinically relevant indicator of anemia

Answer 33

false although it could signal for anemia, MCH is governed by concentration of Hgb in RBCs or MCHC and not by amount of Hgb in a single erythrocyte

Question 34

why would we want to use MCHC and not MCH

Answer 34

it takes more Hgb to reach optimal concentration in larger erythrocytes

Question 35

what can usually occur due to interferents

Answer 35

factitious hyperchromic results

Question 36

what are some examples of interferents of increased MCHC

Answer 36

lipemia hemolysis Heinz bodies

Question 37

what is anisocytosis

Answer 37

measure of the variation in RBC size

Question 38

what is the result in RBC size with regenerative anemia

Answer 38

large cells are produced

Question 39

what is the result in RBC size with iron deficiency anemia

Answer 39

excessive numbers of small cells

Question 40

what CBC components are calculated

Answer 40

Hct MCHC MCH

Question 41

what CBC components are measured

Answer 41

Hgb RBC MCV

Question 42

what can the impact of increased MCV due to agglutination lead to

Answer 42

increased Hct

Question 43

true or false: an increase in MCV can occur in high sodium situations

Answer 43

true

Question 44

what is Hcts

Answer 44

spun Hct

Question 45

what is Hct

Answer 45

hematocrit

Question 46

what is RBC

Answer 46

red blood cell

Question 47

what is Hgb

Answer 47

hemaglobin

Question 48

what is HCTc

Answer 48

hemacrit

Question 49

what is PCV

Answer 49

packed cell volume

Question 50

what analytes measure RBC mass

Answer 50

Hct Hgb RBC