| What does it do? |
Counts the number of each type of cell found in whole blood. | ||
| Physiology |
Blood is made up of white blood cells (WBC), Red blood cells (RBC), Platelets (PLT) and Haemoglobin (Hb). | ||
| How it works |
Blood is collected from the patient and put into a test
tube. The test tube is bar coded and put into the analyser
for measurement. The WBC, RBC and PLT’s are counted
using the “Coulter principle” where the resistance
of a circuit changes as the cells pass through a narrow aperture. |
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| Units of measurement | RBC, WBC, PLT are expressed in counts per micro litre (µL) Hb may be grams per litre (g/L) |
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| Typical values |
WBC – 10.0 x 10^9/L RBC – 4.00 x 10^12/L PLT – 200 x 10^9/L Hb – 130g/L |
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| Picture of equipment | |||
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Blood Cell Counters - Basics
