The packed cell volume (PCV) is the percentage of the blood volume which is occupied by [[Erythrocyte|red blood cells]]. The PCV is usually estimated by subjecting a small blood sample to centrifugation to compress the blood cells into a minimal volume before the PCV is measured against a standard scale. | The packed cell volume (PCV) is the percentage of the blood volume which is occupied by [[Erythrocyte|red blood cells]]. The PCV is usually estimated by subjecting a small blood sample to centrifugation to compress the blood cells into a minimal volume before the PCV is measured against a standard scale. |