Clinical Laboratory Hematology 3rd Edition by Shirlyn McKenzie, Lynne Williams

Exercise 25

A 48-year-old woman was admitted to a hospital because of wheezing, cough, fatigue, and difficulty breathing. Her history included diabetes and hypertension. Her CBC data show a hemoglobin of 8.2 g/dL (82 g/L), RBC count of
and mCV = 109.8 fL. Her WBC count and platelet count were within the reference interval.
Consider the actions that the clinical laboratory professional should take.
Because of the abnormal values found in the CBC, the laboratory professional made a blood smear and performed a WBC differential and complete evaluation of the RBCs and platelets. The primary abnormal finding is seen in the following smear image.
Predict the RDW value for the RBCs from this patient as increased or normal.