Abstract
The complete blood count (CBC) with differential is one of the most common laboratory
tests performed today. It gives information about the production of all blood cells
and identifies the patient's oxygen-carrying capacity through the evaluation of red
blood cell (RBC) indices, hemoglobin, and hematocrit. It also provides information
about the immune system through the evaluation of the white blood cell (WBC) count
with differential. These tests are helpful in diagnosing anemia, certain cancers,
infection, acute hemorrhagic states, allergies, and immunodeficiencies as well as
monitoring for side effects of certain drugs that cause blood dyscrasias. Nurses in
the perianesthesia arena are frequently challenged to obtain and evaluate all or parts
of the CBC as a part of the patient's preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative
assessments. An enhanced understanding of this laboratory test is essential to providing
quality care. © 2003 by American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses.
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Article info
Footnotes
☆Address correspondence to Beverly George-Gay, MSN, RN, CCRN, 11824 Club Ridge Dr, Chester, VA 23836; e-mail address: [email protected]
☆☆1089-9472/03/1802-0007$35.00/0
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Copyright
© 2003 American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
