PCV Test in Tangra, Kolkata

To take the blood sample, a tourniquet (elastic) band is placed tightly on the upper arm. The patient is asked to make a fist. This helps in the buildup of blood filling the veins and it becomes easy to collect the blood. The skin is cleaned before inserting the needle in the vein in order to prevent bacteria from entering. The needle is then inserted into the vein in the arm and the blood sample is collected in the vacutainer.

PCV refers to packed cell volume. It is a measurement of the proportion of blood that is made up of cells. PCV is expressed as a fraction or percentage of cells in the blood.

Primary Polycythaemia is also known as Polycythaemia rubra vera or PRV. In this condition, the bone marrow is producing red blood cells in excess on its own.

When the cause of the production of red blood cells is outside the bone marrow, it is known as Secondary Polycythaemia.

The causes of Secondary Polycythaemia include diseases of the heart or lungs, excessive consumption of alcohol, smoking, disease of the liver or kidney, tumors that secrete erythropoietin which leads to stimulation of the production of red blood cells, and due to rare inherited hemoglobin that doesn’t release enough oxygen to the body.