A blood smear shows 80 nucleated RBCs per 100 leukocytes with a total leukocyte count of 18.0 x 10^9/L. What is the corrected WBC count?

To determine the corrected white blood cell (WBC) count in the presence of nucleated red blood cells (nRBCs), a specific calculation is used. The presence of nRBCs can artificially raise the WBC count, so it is important to correct this value to get an accurate count of only the leukocytes.

In your case, the blood smear shows 80 nRBCs in a population of 100 leukocytes. This indicates that out of the total nucleated cells observed, a significant number are nRBCs. The formula for the corrected WBC count is:

Corrected WBC count = (Total WBC count) × (100 / (100 + nRBCs per 100 leukocytes))

In this example:

1. The total leukocyte count is provided as 18.0 x 10^9/L.

2. The count of nRBCs is 80.

Applying the formula:

Corrected WBC count = 18.0 × (100 / (100 + 80))

= 18.0 × (100 / 180)

= 18.0 × (5/9)

= 10.0 x 10^9/L

Thus, the