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Getting started
The Basics
Reactive changes
Sources
of Error
Practice Quiz |
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Things to
keep in mind when interpreting the WBC count.
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Approximately half of your circulating
WBCs are "marginating" on the endothelium of your vasculature.
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The marginating cells can come
loose with minimal encouragement, thereby greatly increase your effective
pool almost instantly.
The participants
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In the "healthy state,"
the WBC count actually can vary quite a bit, but should be in the range
of 4,000 - 11,000 cells/cumm of whole blood.
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Neutrophils: 50 - 70%
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Lymphocytes: 20 - 40%
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Monocytes: 1 - 6%
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Eosinophils: 1 - 5%
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Basophils: up to 1%
We Always try our best for accuracy and
reliability, but on rare occasion things go amiss.
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Do the numbers
match the clinical situation?
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Hard as it is to believe, mistakes
do happen.
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Sampling errors (the cellular
elements must be kept evenly suspended for the machine to make an accurate
measurement).
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Clerical errors.
The WBC scatter
plot.
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