CBC Critical Lab Values
Complete Blood Count (CBC) with Differential Critical Values.
Critical levels of CBC Lab Test:
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).
Following abbreviations used in Lab Test
◆ 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.