The nurse is caring for a patient with a low hematocrit.Which condition would accurately explain this finding?

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Hematocrit is a blood test that measures the percentage of the volume of whole blood that is made up of red blood cells.This measurement depends on the number of and size of RBCs in the vascular system,as well as the amount of fluid in the blood.An "excess" of fluid in the intravascular space (e.g.,overhydration)would explain a low hematocrit because the number of cells would appear low in relation to the fluid volume.Low hematocrit,of course,has other causes (e.g.,blood loss,decreased production of RBCs).Conversely,an elevated blood cell count would cause a less than normal fluid amount in relation to blood cells.Because hematocrit is a measure of fluid-to-cell ratio within the vascular system,neither transcellular fluid nor extracellular fluid status would explain a low hematocrit.

The Nurse Is Caring for a Patient with a Low