What do red blood cells do in the body?
Transport oxygen and carbon dioxide
What is a normal WBC count?
5,000-10,000
What are the components of a CBC?
Red blood cells (RBCs), White blood cells (WBCs), Hematocrit (Hct), Hemoglobin (Hgb) and Differential white cell count
What is hematocrit?
A measure of the percentage of the total blood
volume that is made up by the RBCs
What is a normal platelet count?
150-450
Where are RBCs made?
Red bone marrow
What could be happening in a patient with an increased WBC?
Why would you see an elevated hemoglobin in patients?
Elevated in dehydration, COPD, living in high altitude, also seen in patients who smoke
Increased neutrophils indicates...
bacterial infection/ acute infection
The laboratory test result that would be most helpful to the nurse in the assessment of a client with a bleeding disorder is
Platelet count
What is the normal RBC count for men AND women?
Men: 4.7-6.1 million/mm3
Women: 4.2-5.4 million/mm3
For a patient with LOW WBC, what type of isolation would we put the patient in?
Reverse isolation, environment isolation
What is a normal HGB count for men AND women?
Men: 14-18 g/dl
Women: 12-16 g/dl
An elevated hematocrit would be seen in patients with
polycythemia, shock, severe dehydration, severe burns
What should a nurse be careful to observe for when assessing a patient with thrombocytopenia?
petechiae, bleeding gums, and epistaxis.
What is polycythemia?
Polycythemia is an increased number of red blood cells in the bloodstream
A patient’s complete blood count with differential shows an elevated Eosinophil count at 10%. As a nurse you know that Eosinophils _____?
Play a role in allergic reactions and parasitic infections
What symptoms are expected with hemoglobin of 10 g/dl?
Mild anemia usually has no clinical signs.
*Palpitations, SOB, and pallor are all associated with severe anemia.
A nurse is caring for a client who has a major burn injury and is experiencing third spacing. Which fluid and electrolyte imbalances should the nurse expect?
Elevated Hct
A nurse is caring for a client who has a platelet count of 50,000 mm^3. After discontinuing the client’s peripheral IV site what should the nurse do?
Apply pressure to the catheter removal site for 10 minutes
A patient's complete blood count results are back. Their RBC count is 10 million, what is going on?
Patient has polycythemia
A patient had a complete blood count with differential test ordered. You assess the white blood cell count results and know that this laboratory test will also assess the count of what other types of WBC/s?
Basophils, eosinophils, monocytes, neutrophils, and lymphocytes
When reviewing the patient's hematologic laboratory values after a splenectomy, you would expect to find
decreased hemoglobin
A client has a hematocrit (Hct) of 30%. The nurse interprets this to mean
30% of the blood will be plasma and plasma products.
A patient with leukemia has a platelet count of 6000/mm3. What interventions does the nurse implement to prevent injury?
Prevent falls. Patient should not have rectal temperatures or strain with bowel movements. Stool softener should be provided.