What does hematocrit mean

Hematocrit is an examination item that we can see on the routine blood test report. However, although this item may not be within the normal range for some people, they don’t know what it means, so they just listen to the doctor’s advice to regulate their bodies. The following editor will satisfy your curiosity and help you figure out what hematocrit actually means.

Hematocrit (PCV) is an old name, now called hematocrit (Hct), which refers to the volume ratio of sunken red blood cells to whole blood after a certain amount of anticoagulated whole blood is centrifuged and precipitated. It is a simple method to indirectly reflect the number and volume of red blood cells. Combining the red blood cell count and hemoglobin content, the average red blood cell count can be calculated, which helps in the morphological classification of anemia.

Hematocrit is an important factor affecting blood viscosity. Blood viscosity increases rapidly with the increase of hematocrit, and decreases vice versa.

1. Increase

Blood concentration is caused by various reasons, such as massive vomiting, diarrhea, and large amounts of wound exudate after extensive burns. The hematocrit can be measured to understand the degree of blood concentration, which can serve as a basis for the amount of fluid replacement. Polycythemia vera can sometimes be as high as 80%. Secondary polycythemia is a compensatory reaction caused by insufficient oxygen supply in the body, such as in newborns, people living in plateau areas, and people with chronic heart and lung diseases.

2. Reduce

Seen in various anemias or hemodilutions. Due to different types of anemia, the reduction in red blood cell count and hematocrit is not necessarily proportional, so the three average values ​​of red blood cells can be calculated based on the hematocrit and the amount of hemoglobin in the red blood cell count to help identify and classify anemia.