Complete Blood Count (CBC) – Blood Tests for Cholecystitis (Nursing)

00:01 So let's get started with lab work.

00:03 I want to start with the CBC, one of my favorite lab tests because you can learn so much about your patient.

00:10 But in particular we're going to be looking for the level of white blood cells.

00:15 So I'm going to be assessing for an elevated white blood cell level or leukocytosis.

00:21 So I'll look for any abnormal values, but if I'm looking at cholecystitis, I'm particularly interested in the white blood cell level.

00:30 Now the normal range for white blood cells is 5 to 10.

00:34 Now you notice we have 10 to the third.

00:36 I want you to know when you're in the hospital.

00:38 You may hear a nurse say their level is 5 but what they really mean is 5,000.

00:44 You may hear him say it's 8, white blood cells are 8 and that really means 8,000.

00:49 So that's how we speak it, but what you see on the screen is what you'll see in the results.