Which item is described as used to calculate PCV of a blood sample?

Which item is described as used to calculate PCV of a blood sample?

• A. PCV card reader
• B. Hemocytometer
• C. Standard WBC counting device
• D. Hematocrit tubes

Answer: (A)

Packed cell volume measures the percentage of blood that is made up of red blood cells. To obtain PCV, you fill a tiny capillary tube with blood, seal it, then spin it in a centrifuge. The packed red cells settle at the bottom, plasma stays on top, and the PCV is read as the proportion of the tube occupied by the red cell layer. The instrument used for this is a hematocrit tube (often read with a hematocrit/microhematocrit reader). Other devices listed are for different purposes—counting cells under a microscope or handling white blood cell counts—so they don’t measure PCV.

Packed cell volume measures the percentage of blood that is made up of red blood cells. To obtain PCV, you fill a tiny capillary tube with blood, seal it, then spin it in a centrifuge. The packed red cells settle at the bottom, plasma stays on top, and the PCV is read as the proportion of the tube occupied by the red cell layer. The instrument used for this is a hematocrit tube (often read with a hematocrit/microhematocrit reader). Other devices listed are for different purposes—counting cells under a microscope or handling white blood cell counts—so they don’t measure PCV.