packed cells
4
4.9
- noun
- Specialized
:
células empaquetadas
- To manage his anemia, the nurse administered a unit of packed cells at the hospital.
- packed-cell volume
Examples
-
Though the numbers are small, there was no evidence of any vaccine effect on the parasite densities, spleen rates, or packed-cell volume.
Academic text (2000) -
Haematological monitoring must include measurement of haemoglobin, packed-cell volume, and complete blood counts with differentials after 1, 2, and 3 months of treatment and then every 3 months.
Academic text (2000) -
The doctor ordered two units of packed cells to help raise the patient’s red blood cell count.
-
After the accident, she received three units of packed cells during her treatment.
Synonyms
16
3.1
A small round cell in the blood that carries oxygen to body tissues
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally interpretable — 'packed' + 'cells' suggests cells that have been concentrated or pressed together, so a learner could infer a sense of concentrated blood cells. However, the specific clinical sense (red blood cells separated from plasma for transfusion) is specialized and not fully predictable from the parts alone, so a B1 learner without medical knowledge would likely not grasp the precise usage.
Etymology
The noun packed cells comes from how blood is prepared: technicians put blood in a tube and spin it so the heavier red cells sink and are packed together at the bottom. That's why packed cells means a 'concentrated' supply of red blood used in transfusions to increase a patient's red blood cell level without adding extra fluid.