Calculating Post-Transfusion Platelet Count

A patient with a history of thrombocytopenia is scheduled to receive one unit of apheresis platelets to increase platelet counts before an upcoming surgical procedure. The unit contains 6.0 × 10¹¹ platelets, which is expected to raise the patient's platelet count by an average of 30,000 to 60,000 platelets per microliter of blood. The patient's baseline platelet count was measured at 25,000 platelets/microliter. Assuming an average increase of 45,000 platelets/microliter after transfusion, the nurse calculates the expected platelet count post-transfusion. Fill in the blank with the expected platelet count:

Expected platelet count post-transfusion is __________ platelets/microliter.