Calc Function

    • Calcs that help predict probability of a diseaseDiagnosis
    • Subcategory of 'Diagnosis' designed to be very sensitiveRule Out
    • Disease is diagnosed: prognosticate to guide treatmentPrognosis
    • Numerical inputs and outputsFormula
    • Med treatment and moreTreatment
    • Suggested protocolsAlgorithm

    Disease

    Select...

    Specialty

    Select...

    Chief Complaint

    Select...

    Organ System

    Select...

    Patent Pending

    Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC)

    Frequently used to assess neutropenic fever in chemotherapy patients.
    When to Use
    Pearls/Pitfalls
    Why Use

    The ANC can be critical in assessing an immunocompromised patient’s risk for developing opportunistic infections. It is commonly used in the hospital setting, clinic, and emergency department. If a patient undergoing active myelosuppressive chemotherapy presents with a sustained fever (with or without localizing symptoms), there is a risk of progression to sepsis. Thus, it is imperative to calculate the ANC to assist in determining if empiric antibiotics should be initiated.

    • The ANC calculation is not a static measurement done only once upon hospital admission. Rather, it is often measured daily in critically ill patients to assess the bone marrow’s response after chemotherapy, for example.
    • Recall that the ANC is dynamic - it is an absolute value and is expected to drop during the patient’s nadir after chemotherapy.

    The calculation can be completed with a routine complete blood count and differential. It is a tool to provide a rapid risk stratification. No additional laboratory work is needed to complete the calculation.

    %
    %
    × 10³ cells/µL

    Result:

    Please fill out required fields.

    Next Steps
    Evidence
    Creator Insights
    Dr. Layla A. Al-Gwaiz

    About the Creator

    Layla A. Al-Gwaiz, MD, FCAP is a practicing physician and researcher in Hematology Section of the Department of Pathology at King Khalid University Hospital in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

    To view Dr. Layla A. Al-Gwaiz's publications, visit PubMed

    Are you Dr. Layla A. Al-Gwaiz? Send us a message to review your photo and bio, and find out how to submit Creator Insights!
    MDCalc loves calculator creators – researchers who, through intelligent and often complex methods, discover tools that describe scientific facts that can then be applied in practice. These are real scientific discoveries about the nature of the human body, which can be invaluable to physicians taking care of patients.
    Content Contributors
    About the Creator
    Dr. Layla A. Al-Gwaiz
    Are you Dr. Layla A. Al-Gwaiz?
    Partner Content
    Content Contributors