For a patient with total serum iron of 63 mg/dL and TIBC of 420 mg/dL, what is their percent transferrin saturation?

To calculate the percent transferrin saturation, you use the formula:

[

\text{Percent Transferrin Saturation} = \left( \frac{\text{Total Serum Iron}}{\text{TIBC}} \right) \times 100

]

In this case, the total serum iron is 63 mg/dL and the TIBC (Total Iron Binding Capacity) is 420 mg/dL. Plugging these values into the formula gives:

[

\text{Percent Transferrin Saturation} = \left( \frac{63 , \text{mg/dL}}{420 , \text{mg/dL}} \right) \times 100

]

Calculating this:

1. Divide 63 by 420, which equals 0.15.

2. Multiply by 100 to convert to a percentage: (0.15 \times 100 = 15%).

Thus, the percent transferrin saturation for this patient is 15%. This value reflects the amount of iron bound to transferrin relative to the binding capacity available, which is crucial in assessing iron metabolism and diagnosing conditions related to iron deficiency or overload.

Understanding transferrin saturation