Hct
Abbreviation with 3 meanings
| Stands for | Hematocrit |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 3 |
| Categories | Medical |
| Also written | HCT |
Hct has three meanings. The most common are Hematocrit (laboratory test) and Hematopoietic cell transplantation (hematology and oncology); it can also stand for Hydrocortisone.
Meanings of Hct at a glance
| # | Hct stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hematocrit | Medical › Laboratory Test |
| 2 | Hematopoietic cell transplantation | Medical › Hematology and Oncology |
| 3 | Hydrocortisone | Medical › Drug |
1. Hematocrit
Medical · Laboratory Test Abbreviations
Percentage of blood volume made up of red cells, about 41 to 50 percent in adult men and 36 to 44 percent in adult women. It moves with hemoglobin (roughly three times the Hgb value), falls with bleeding or anemia, and rises with dehydration or polycythemia; modern analyzers calculate it from the RBC count and MCV.
Example: Hct 52% in a dehydrated marathon runner normalized after two liters of IV fluid.
Also known as packed cell volume (PCV): the original method spun blood in a capillary tube and measured the height of the red layer. The "rule of three" linking hematocrit to hemoglobin holds only for normal-sized red cells. The British spelling is haematocrit. A hematocrit above roughly 60 percent makes blood viscous enough to cause headaches, visual changes and clotting.
2. Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT)
Medical · Hematology and Oncology Abbreviations
Term preferred by transplant research organizations, such as the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, for the same procedure known as stem cell or bone marrow transplantation. It reflects that the graft contains a mix of stem cells and other blood cells.
Example: CIBMTR data show improving survival after allogeneic HCT for older adults with AML.
HCT appears widely in clinical trials, registry reports and the name of the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy's journal. In lab reports, the very similar abbreviation Hct means hematocrit, the percentage of blood volume made up of red cells, a frequent source of confusion.
3. Hydrocortisone (HCT)
Medical · Drug Abbreviations
Rare abbreviation for hydrocortisone that ISMP lists as error-prone because it has been read as hydrochlorothiazide, a blood pressure pill. In laboratory medicine HCT is the standard abbreviation for hematocrit.
Example: Pharmacy query: "HCT 25 mg" - hydrocortisone or hydrochlorothiazide? Prescriber confirmed HCTZ.
The confusion works in both directions: ISMP reports "HCTZ 50 mg" read as "HCT 250 mg" of hydrocortisone. Both drugs come in tablet strengths that overlap, so neither strength nor dosage form is enough to catch the error. ISMP recommends spelling out all drug names.
Related abbreviations
More laboratory test abbreviations
- Hb – Hemoglobin
- HbA1c – Hemoglobin A1c (glycated hemoglobin)
- hCG – Human chorionic gonadotropin
- HCO3 – Bicarbonate
- HDL – High-density lipoprotein (cholesterol)
- HFP – Hepatic function panel
- Hgb – Hemoglobin
- hs-CRP – High-sensitivity C-reactive protein
See all 135 laboratory test abbreviations →
More hematology and oncology abbreviations
- G6PD – Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase
- GBM – Glioblastoma multiforme
- GVHD – Graft-versus-host disease
- HbS – Hemoglobin S
- HD – Hodgkin disease
- HER2 – Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2
- HIT – Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia
- HL – Hodgkin lymphoma
See all 144 hematology and oncology abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.