Which laboratory result suggests that a client is chronically losing small amounts of blood?

The elevated reticulocyte count suggests that the client is responding to a chronic loss of blood by increasing the production of red blood cells. Reticulocytes are immature red blood cells that are released from the bone marrow into the bloodstream. When there is a loss of blood, such as through chronic bleeding, the bone marrow compensates by producing more red blood cells to replace those lost. An elevated reticulocyte count indicates that the body is actively trying to produce more red blood cells in response to this ongoing blood loss.

In contrast, prolonged bleeding time relates to the dysfunction of platelets, and while it does indicate some form of bleeding, it does not specifically point to chronic blood loss. A decreased platelet count typically suggests a different pathology regarding either production or increased destruction of platelets rather than a chronic bleed. Elevated bands indicate a left shift in the white blood cell count, often due to acute infection or inflammation, rather than blood loss. Thus, elevated reticulocyte count is a clear indicator of the body’s compensatory mechanism to address chronic blood loss.