A female patient has a blood test.One ml of her blood is drawn,spun in a centrifuge,and the plasma volume is measured and found to be 0.6 ml.Two months later the same patient returns to the doctor and,after doing another blood test,the doctor tells the patient that she has become anemic compared to her previous visit.Which of the following is most likely to be the woman's hematocrit on the second visit?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Hematocrit is the volume percentage of red blood cells in the blood. Since the patient has become anemic, it means that her hematocrit has decreased compared to her previous visit. The initial plasma volume was 0.6 ml, which means the initial blood sample volume was 1 ml. If we assume that the patient's red blood cell volume did not change between the two visits, then her hematocrit on the first visit was 100% - 60% (plasma volume) = 40%.

If the patient has become anemic, it means that her red blood cell volume has decreased. Without knowing the exact value of the red blood cell volume or the amount of blood drawn during the second visit, we cannot determine the exact hematocrit on the second visit. However, we can eliminate choices C, D, and E since they are not within the physiological range of hematocrit values.

Therefore, the most likely hematocrit on the second visit is A) 35%, which is lower than the initial value of 40%.

A Female Patient Has a Blood Test