May 2023
Q. How long do blood transfusions affect mean corpuscular volume values? A patient had a red blood cell count of 2.5 × 106/μL, hemoglobin level of 7.3 g/dL, hematocrit of 22.7 percent, MCV of 90.8 fL, mean corpuscular hemoglobin of 29.2 pg/cell, and a mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration of 32.2 g/dL. Thirteen days after transfusion, the patient’s values were an RBC of 3.61 × 106/μL, Hgb 10.7 g/dL, Hct 34.6 percent, MCV 95.8 fL, MCH 29.6 pg/cell, and MCHC 30.9 g/dL, and the analyzer flagged the Hgb as abnormal because the MCHC was low. Read answer.
Q. We perform a cell count and differential for bronchoalveolar lavages. I understand the importance of a differential cell count, but is a cell count clinically significant when the bronchoalveolar volume is not standardized? Read answer.