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Also known as '''''PCV

Also known as '''''PCV''''' — Similar to '''''Haematocrit'''''

 

==Description==

==Description==

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. PCV differs from haematocrit values very slightly as haematocrit is measured automatically using techniques which exclude the microscopic spaces between the red blood cells - when comparing serial samples use the same technique (manual PCV or automated haematocrit) each time to make sure the samples can be compared.

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. PCV differs from '''haematocrit''' values very slightly as haematocrit is measured automatically using techniques which exclude the microscopic spaces between the red blood cells - when comparing serial samples use the same technique (manual PCV or automated haematocrit) each time to make sure the samples can be compared.

==Clinical Significance==

==Clinical Significance==

Since PCV is not a measure of the actual number of red blood cells, anaemic animals may appear to have a normal or even increased PCV if they also become dehydrated.  An example of this phenomenon occurs with [[Hypoadrenocorticism|Addison's disease]], where animals frequently have a non-regenerative anaemia which is masked by dehydration in an Addisonian crisis.   

Since PCV is not a measure of the actual number of red blood cells, anaemic animals may appear to have a normal or even increased PCV if they also become dehydrated.  An example of this phenomenon occurs with [[Hypoadrenocorticism|Addison's disease]], where animals frequently have a non-regenerative anaemia which is masked by dehydration in an Addisonian crisis.   

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