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Complete Blood Count
Aka: Complete Blood Count, CBC
- Efficacy
- Complete Blood Count is over-utilized in acute infectious illness
- Does not distinguish Sepsis, Septic Joint, Bacterial Meningitis, Appendicitis, Diverticulitis, occult Bacterial Infection
- CBC is the “Last Bastion of the Intellectually Destitute” (Amal Mattu)
- References
- Cruz (2017) JAMA Pediatr 171(11):e172927 +PMID: 28892537 [PubMed]
- Pediatric EM Morsels (Fox)
- https://pedemmorsels.com/wbc-count-fever/
- Physiology
- See Bone Marrow
- Bone Marrow produces stem cell lines
- Images

- Myeloid lines
- Erythroblasts (develop into erythrocytes)
- Myeloblasts (develop into Granulocytes)
- Megakaryocyte (develop into Platelets)
- Lymphocytic lines
- Lymphoblasts (develop into Lymphocytes)
- Technique: Specimen
- Specimen rejected if clotted
- Immediately mix specimen 10 times by gently inversion
- Tube type: Lavender or Purple Top
- Volume
- Adults: 3 ml (1 ml minimum)
- Children: 1 ml (0.3 ml in pediatric micro-container)
- Lab: Components
- White Blood Cell Count
- Neutrophil Count
- Lymphocyte Count
- Eosinophil Count
- Basophil Count
- Monocyte Count
- Red Blood Cell Count
- Hemoglobin
- Hematocrit
- Erythrocyte Indices
- Mean Corpuscular Volume
- Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC)
- Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin
- Red Cell Distribution Width
- Platelet Count