All blood tests, including the CBC and other panels and tests, must include certain basic elements including: your name and health ID, date the test was completed and printed, names of the test(s), lab and doctor who ordered the test, actual test results, normal range for results, flagged abnormal results and, of course, lots of abbreviations and units of measurement. The complete blood count (CBC) is one of the most commonly ordered blood tests. The complete blood count is the calculation of the cellular (formed elements) of blood. Special machines that analyze the different components of blood in less than a minute generally determine these calculations.
Complete blood count (CBC) On this page.by Drugs.com. Last updated on Dec 19, 2018.
The CBC – providing information about your healthThe human body is primarily made up of water and cells. Many of the cells group together to form the skin, muscles, bones and organs, such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, etc. Such cells are stationary, staying in one place within the body. Some very special and important cells, however, move throughout the body by traveling (circulating) in the blood. These circulating cells provide oxygen to all of the stationary cells in the body, help fight infection throughout the body, and help stop bleeding after an injury.
Information about these cells can provide important clues about the overall health of the body.The complete blood count, or CBC, is a lab test that provides information about these circulating cells. First, a sample of your blood is collected and sent to the lab. A lab instrument then automatically counts the number of each type of circulating cell.