Specimen Collection

4 mL EDTA Blood

250 uL Micro-EDTA Blood

• 7ml Blood Bank EDTA tubes are not acceptable for FBC analysis.

Specimen Stability/Suitability:

Test	Room Temperature Stability (able to report)	4 o C Stability (able to report)
FBC + Analyser Differential + Reticulocyte	Less than 24-hours	Less than 48-hours

• Blood Film Examination (Automated or Manual differential with Morphology comment) - less than 6 hours from time of collection (sample stored at room temp or 4 ^o C).
• Blood Film Examination (Automated or Manual differential without Morphology comment) - less than 12 hours from time of collection (sample stored at room temp or 4 ^o C).

EDTA tubes on ice are not acceptable.

Reference Intervals

New Adult Blood Reference Intervals (installed at LabPlus 15/8/11)

Parameters	Male	Female	Pregnant	Units
Haemoglobin	130 - 175	115 - 155	115 - 155	g/L
RBC	4.30 - 6.00	3.60 - 5.60	3.60- 5.60	E+12/L
HCT	0.400 - 0.520	0.350 - 0.460	0.350 - 0.460	L/L
MCV	80 - 99	80 - 99	80 - 99	fL
MCH	27.0 - 33.0	27.0 - 33.0	27.0 - 33.0	pg
RDW	12.0 - 14.6	12.1 - 14.6	12.1 - 14.6	%
MCHC	320 - 360	320 - 360	320 - 360	g/L
Immature Granulocytes	0.00 - 0.06	0.00 - 0.06	0.00 - 0.06	E+9/L
WBC	4.0 - 11.0	4.0 - 11.0	5.0 - 14.5	E+9/L
Band Neutrophils	0.0 - 0.6	0.0 - 0.6	0.0 - 0.6	E+9/L
Neutrophils	1.9 - 7.5	1.9 - 7.5	1.9 - 11.0	E+9/L
Lymphocytes	1.0 - 4.0	1.0 - 4.0	1.0 - 4.0	E+9/L
Monocytes	0.2 - 1.0	0.2 - 1.0	0.2 - 1.0	E+9/L
Eosinophils	0.0 - 0.5	0.0 - 0.5	0.0 - 0.5	E+9/L
Basophils	0.0 - 0.2	0.0 - 0.2	0.0 - 0.2	E+9/L
Platelets	150 - 400	150 - 400	150 - 400	E+9/L
MPV	8.5 - 12.0	8.5 - 12.0	9.0 - 12.2	fL

LabPlus Haematology has traditionally used pregnancy-specific reference ranges for haemoglobin and red cell indices. However, recent evidence presented at the national NZ Haematology QA Group shows that the lower intervention thresholds may lead to poorer outcomes for mothers and babies. The group has endorsed a shift to standard, age-appropriate female reference ranges for pregnant patient. LabPlus has implemented this change on 12-August-2025.

Also See:

Blood Film Examination

Cord Blood Reference Intervals

Immature Granulocytes

Infant Blood FBC Reference Intervals <1 year

Paediatric Blood FBC Reference Intervals 1-15 years

Reticulocyte Count

Reticulocyte Haemoglobin Equivalent

Uncertainty of Measurement(UOM):

Parameter	UOM
WBC <1.0	8%
WBC >1.0	4%
RBC	2%
HGB	2%
MCV	1%
RDW	2%
PLTS <50	16%
PLTS >50	11%

Uncertainty of Measurement for Differential count:

Cells which make up	UOM(Automated Differential	UOM(Manual Differential)
50% of the total WBC	8.0%	20%
25% of the total WBC	10%	30%
10% of the total WBC	20%	50%
5% of the total WBC	20%	70%
<5% of the total WBC		100%
IG/Left Shift Index		50%

Turnaround Time: Within 2 hours

Turnaround time 2 hours for non-urgent specimens, and 45 minutes for urgent specimens.

Blood film examination turnaround time is dependent on the location and the results of full blood count parameters.

Contact Information

For further information contact the Haematology laboratory (Ext 22067) or:

Dr Anna Ruskova	Ext 22137
Dr Nikhil Rabade	Ext 22071
Dr Nicola Eaddy	Ext 22005
Dr Peter Bradbeer	Ext 22062

Last updated at 11:11:42 15/08/2025