Platelet count

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Overview

Risks

Results

Platelet count

Alternative Names:

Thrombocyte count

What the risks are:

excessive bleeding
fainting or feeling light-headed
hematoma (blood accumulating under the skin)
infection (a slight risk any time the skin is broken)
multiple punctures to locate veins

Special considerations:

Drugs that can lower platelet counts include chemotherapy drugs, chloramphenicol, colchicine, H2 blocking agents, heparin, hydralazine, indomethacin, isoniazid, quinidine, streptomycin, sulfonamide, thiazide diuretic, and tolbutamide.

Veins and arteries vary in size from one patient to another and from one side of the body to the other. Obtaining a blood sample from some people may be more difficult than from others.

Review Date: 2/3/2005
Reviewed By: Rita Nanda, M.D., Department of Hematology/Oncology, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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