Question

In the emergency room, 10ml of blood is withdrawn from the vein and split evenly into two test tubes. The packed cell volume (RBCs) of one test tube is 1.2ml, and the plasma volume is 3.80 ml. Calculate Maggie's hematocrit in the ER.

A) 15%
B) 29%
C) 24%
D) 30%

Answer 1

Maggie's hematocrit in the ER is calculated by dividing the erythrocyte volume by the total blood volume in the test tube and multiplying by 100. The result is a hematocrit of 24%, which is choice C).

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate Maggie's hematocrit in the emergency room, we use the volume of red blood cells (RBCs), also known as erythrocytes, and the total blood volume in the test tube. The hematocrit is a measure of the volume percentage of erythrocytes in a sample of centrifuged blood, typically expressed as a percentage.

The question states that 10ml of blood is split evenly into two test tubes, so each tube has 5ml of blood. In one test tube, the packed cell volume (erythrocytes) is 1.2ml, and the plasma volume is 3.80ml. To calculate the hematocrit, we divide the erythrocyte volume by the total blood volume (erythrocytes + plasma) in the test tube:

Hematocrit = (Erythrocyte volume / Total blood volume) × 100

Hematocrit = (1.2ml / (1.2ml + 3.80ml)) × 100

Hematocrit = (1.2ml / 5ml) × 100

Hematocrit = 0.24 × 100

Hematocrit = 24%

Therefore, Maggie's hematocrit in the ER is 24%, which corresponds to answer choice C).