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Red Cell Indices

The document discusses red cell indices, including their morphology, size, and lifespan, highlighting the flexibility and deformability of mature red blood cells (RBCs). It details five key red cell indices: Hematocrit (HCT), Mean Cell Volume (MCV), Mean Cell Hemoglobin (MCH), Mean Cell Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC), and Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW), along with their definitions and calculations. The document emphasizes the importance of these indices in assessing red blood cell characteristics and health.

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Ali Muavia
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31 views11 pages

Red Cell Indices

The document discusses red cell indices, including their morphology, size, and lifespan, highlighting the flexibility and deformability of mature red blood cells (RBCs). It details five key red cell indices: Hematocrit (HCT), Mean Cell Volume (MCV), Mean Cell Hemoglobin (MCH), Mean Cell Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC), and Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW), along with their definitions and calculations. The document emphasizes the importance of these indices in assessing red blood cell characteristics and health.

Uploaded by

Ali Muavia
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Course:

Advances In Hematology

Course Instructor:
Muhammad Mubashar Idrees
Ph.D. (Scholar)

Topic:
Red Cell Indices
RED CELL
▪ Mature red cell is a circular, biconcave disc containing hemoglobin and is bound
by the cell membrane.
▪ On a peripheral blood smear, they appear as pale red cells with central one-
third pallor (where the upper and lower membrane surfaces closely meet).

The advantages of the characteristic morphology of the RBCs are:


▪ The young, healthy red cells are quite flexible and highly deformable so that
they can easily pass through extremely narrow capillary beds and splenic
sinusoids. They rapidly regain their normal shape after exiting from the capillary
bed.
▪ Provides greater surface area compared to volume which allows considerable
alterations in the cell volume. Thus they can resist hemolysis to certain extent.
▪ Aged RBCs become more rigid and less deformable and are removed from the
circulation in the spleen.
▪ Size: The size of normal RBCs ranges from 6.7 to 7.7 μm in
diameter.
▪ Life span: The average life span of normal RBC is 110-120 days.

Red cell indices


I. Hematocrit (HCT)
II. Mean cell (corpuscular) volume (MCV)
III. Mean cell (corpuscular) hemoglobin (MCH)
IV. Mean cell (corpuscular) hemoglobin concentration (MCHC)
V. Red cell distribution width (RDW)
I. Hematocrit (HCT)
Volume of red blood cells to the total volume of blood.
Unit: Percentage, %
HCT= Plasma volume – Total blood volume
II. Mean cell volume (MCV)
Average volume of the red blood cells
Unit: Femtoliters (fL), 10-15 L.

MCV= Hematocrit (%) x 10


RBC ( x 1012/L)

MCV = 42 (%) x 10
12
= 100 fl
4.2 ( x 10 /L)
III. Mean cell hemoglobin (MCH)
Average content (mass) of hemoglobin per red cell
Unit: Expressed in picograms, 10-12 gram

MCH = Hb (g/dl) x 10
RBC ( x 10-12/L)

MCH = 12.5 x 10
12
= 30.5 pg
4.1 ( x 10 /L)
IV. Mean cell hemoglobin concentration (MCHC)
Average concentration of hemoglobin in a given volume of
packed red cells
Unit: grams per decilitre, g/dL.

Hb (g/dl) x 100
MCHC =
Haematocrit (%)

MCHC = 12.5 x 100 = 34 g/dL


37
V. Red cell distribution width (RDW)
Quantitative measure of anisocytosis
Unit: percentage, %.

Anisocytosis is the medical term for having red blood cells


(RBCs) that are unequal in size.
Thank-you

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