Test Abbreviation Description
red blood cell count RBC number of red blood cells per microliter of blood
white blood cell count WBC number of white blood cells per microliter of blood
differential count Diff relative percentage of the different types of leukocytes
hematocrit (FIG. 11-10) Ht, Hct, crit relative percentage of packed red cells in a given volume of blood
packed cell volume PCV hematocrit
hemoglobin Hb, Hgb amount of hemoglobin in g/dL (100 mL) of blood
mean corpuscular volume MCV volume of an average red cell
mean corpuscular hemoglobin MCH average weight of hemoglobin in red cells
mean corpuscular hemoglobin
concentration
MCHC average concentration of hemoglobin in red blood cells
erythrocyte sedimentation rate ESR rate of erythrocyte settling per unit of time; used to detect infection or
inflammation
complete blood count CBC series of tests including cell counts, hematocrit, hemoglobin, and cell
volume measurements
