Have you ever seen spinal fluid that was a different color other than clear and colorless? 👀 Let’s break it down. Prefix: Xantho- = yellow 💛 Suffix: -chromic = color 🎨 So, xanthochromic literally means “yellow-colored.” You’ll see xanthochromia in cerebrospinal fluid 2–12 hours after a subarachnoid hemorrhage due to the breakdown of red blood cells releasing bilirubin. It’s an important sign that blood has been in the CSF for a while and not from a traumatic tap. 🩸😳 Make sure you know this