| Test | Conventional | SI Units |
|---|---|---|
| Red Blood Cell (RBC) | Male: 4.6–6.2 x 10_6cells /nL Female: 4.2–5.9 x 10_6cells / nL | Male: 4.6–6.2 x 10_12 cells /L Female: 4.2–5.9 x 10_12 cells /L |
| Hemoglobin (Hgb) | Male: 13–18 g/dL Female: 12–16 g/dL | Male: 130–180 g/L Female: 120–160 g/L |
| Hematocrit (Hct) | Male: 45–52% Female: 37–48% | Male: 0.45–0.52 Female: 0.37–0.48 |
| MCV | 80 to 100 nm3 | 80 to 100 nm3 |
| MCH | 27 to 31 pg/cell | 27 to 31 pg/cell |
| MCHC | 32 to 36 g/dL | 32 to 36 g/dL |
| White Blood Cells (WBC) | 4,300–10,800 cells/mm3 | 4.3–10.8 x 10_9/L |
| WBC Differential | ||
| ◆ Neutrophils, bands | 0–5% | 0.03–0.08 |
| ◆ Neutrophils, segmented | 54–65% | 0.54–0.65 |
| ◆ Lymphocytes | 25–40% | 0.25–0.40 |
| ◆ Monocytes | 2–8% | 0.02–0.08 |
| ◆ Eosinophils | 1–4% | 0.010.04 |
| ◆ Basophils | 0–1% | 0–0.01 |
| Platelets | 150,00–450,000/ mm3 | 150–450 x 109/L |
Critical levels:
Hgb: <5 g/dL or >20 g/dL
Hct: <15% or >60%
WBC: <500 mm3 or >50,000/ mm3
Platelets: <50,000 or >999,000/mm3
. Lavender-top tube.
■ A CBC reveals
◆ Information about general health.
◆ Number of red blood cells (RBC).
◆ Number of white blood cells (WBC) and differential (see
White Blood Cells for more information).
◆ Total amount of hemoglobin in the blood (Hgb).
◆ Fraction of blood composed of red blood cells (Hct).
◆ Volume of Hgb in each RBC (MCV [mean corpuscular
volume]).
◆ Weight of the Hgb in each RBC (MCH [mean corpuscular
hemoglobin]).
◆ Proportion of Hgb contained in each RBC (MCHC [mean
corpuscular hemoglobin concentration]).
◆ Number of platelets, which are critical to clot formation (see
Platelets for more information).
■ MCV, MCH, and MCHC values are useful in the diagnosis of
various types of anemia. See below for description of
anemias.
