1. Homeostasis-changes of isovolaemia, isoionia and isoosmosis Flashcards
Samples used for haematology and why
Na2, K2, or NaK-EDTA(EthyleneDiamineTetraacetic Acid)-solution as an anticoagulant. This inhibits coagulation by irreversibly binding calcium ions in the sample.
What is important with heamatology samples?
It is important to fill the blood collection vial only up to its mark and then gently turn it 8-10 times for mixing.
If the sample with EDTA is stored for over 12 hours, blood cells swell.
Samples used for blood biochemistry parameters?
Mostly evaluated in serum, without adding any anticoagulant to the sample. Sometimes blood plasma is used, where coagulation is blocked by heparin.
Function of heparin
- Heparin enhances the binding of coagulation factors to antithrombin III, which in turn blocks the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin.
- Heparin is a protein produced by the body (mast cells), but in laboratory diagnostics and treatment protocols we use synthetic heparin.
- Heparin often has a necrotizing effect on white blood cells in vitro.
Samples used for the testing of blood clotting parameters?
Na2-citrate (3.8% solution) is used as an anticoagulant.
Function of Na2-citrate as anticoagulant?
- Similarly to EDTA the mode of action involves Ca2+ binding, but this bond is not irreversible.
- Citrate causes the least damage in blood cell metabolism, therefore it is also suitable for preparing blood smears.
- Also for this reason citrate is the anticoagulant of choice in blood transfusion transport bags to maximize cell life. -3,8%-os Na2-citrate is also used for RBC sedimentation test, but in this case citrate:blood ratio is 1:4.
Samples used for coagulation measurements?
Na2-citrate as anticoagulant, but Ca2+ is always included in the reagents to restart the coagulation cascade.
ISOVOLAEMIA
The physiological and pathological alterations of fluid volume
Water compartments in the organism of animals are?
The extracellular space (EC), intracellular space (IC), and the transcellular or interstitial space.
The fluid (water) volume in each compartment is influenced by?
The lungs, kidneys, skin and the gastrointestinal tract.
The total water content of the body?
Approx. 600-650 ml/BWkg
- EC: 250-300 ml/BWkg
- IC: 350-400 ml/BWkg.
What kinds of volume disturbances can be distinguished?
Perfusion and hydration disorders.
What is a decrease of tissue perfusion, and what are the causes?
It is a volume deficit in the intravascular space.
Can be caused by objective volume-loss e.g. blood loss or a relative decrease in circulating volume e.g. in heart insufficiency.
What is evaluation of volume-disturbances based on?
- Based on clinical signs:
–Evaluation of perfusion
-Evaluation of hydration - Based on packed cell volume (PCV, haematocrit - Ht)
- Based on haemoglobin (Hb) concentration
- Based on plasma total protein (TP) or albumin (Alb) concentration
- Based on change in Mean Corpuscular Volume of the RBCs (MCV), influenced by osmotic
state
Evaluation of perfusion
=Intravascular deficit or circulation problems
• capillary refill time (CRT) (decr. hypovolaemia, incr. hypervolaemia)
• colour of mucous membranes (e.g. pale, livid)
• strength of pulse
• heart rate (e.g. elevation)
• blood pressure (central venous pressure)
Evaluation of hydration
=interstitial or intracellular water supply
• skin turgor (elasticity) – pulling up to form a wrinkle
• mucous membranes – e.g. shiny, wet or dry
• sunken eyes (enophthalmos), prolapse of the third eyelid, especially in cats
• turgor (elasticity) of the eye
• skin around the oral cavity or anus – signs of water loss
• changes of body weight
• volume of urine prod, specific gravity of urine
Clinical and laboratory signs of volume changes:
a) DEHYDRATION b) HYPERHYDRATION
1. Capillary refill time (CRT)
2. Strength of pulse
3. Body weight
4. Mucous membranes
5. Elasticity of the skin
6. Placement of eyeballs
7. Turgor of the eyes
8. Heart rate (HR)
9. Central venous blood pressure
10. Hb concentration
11. PCV (Ht)
12. TP and/or Alb
13. MCV
14. Osmolality (serum, urine)
15. Urine output
16. Urine specific gravity
a) DEHYDRATION b) HYPERHYDRATION
1. Capillary refill time (CRT): increased / no change/decrease
2. Strength of pulse: decreased / increased
3. Body weight: decreased / increase/no change
4. Mucous membranes: dry / no change/oedema
5. Elasticity of the skin: decreased / no change/oedema
6. Placement of eyeballs: enophthalmos / no change/exophthalmos
7. Turgor of the eyes: decreased / no change/increased
8. HR: increased / no change/increased
9. Central venous BP: decreased / normal/increased
10. Hb conc.: increased / decreased
11. PCV (Ht): increased / decreased
12. TP and/or Alb: increased / decreased
13. MCV: decr. (hyperosmosis) / incr. (hypoosmosis)
14. Osmolality: incr. (hyperosmosis) / decr. (hypoosmosis)
15. Urine output: decreased / increased
16. Urine specific gravity: increased / decreased
Typical total volume loss in acute bleeding
- 5-15%: loss of TBV (total blood volume) - no change in BP
- 15-25% loss of TBV – tachycardia (incr heart rate), vasoconstriction, initially incr in BP
- 35-45%: loss of TBV - severe decr in BP, oliguria/anuria and then vasodilatation - shock
- 50%: loss of TBV – death (exitus letalis)
Packed cell volume (PCV)
- What is it?
- Expressed as?
- Indication/goal
- Sample type
- PCV is a ratio number. It informs us about the ratio of whole blood volume to the volume of RBCs.
- Can be expressed as a number without unit, l/l or %
- PCV is evaluated routinely; fluid volume changes and quantitative changes of RBCs (e.g. anaemia) can be detected.
- Anticoag. blood is necessary (mostly EDTA, sometimes heparin). Some ready-to-use Ht capillaries are coated with heparin.
Methods to measure PCV
- Mikrohematokrit or microcapillary method
- Establishing PCV using automated cell counter
- Handheld HCT Meter
Calculation of PCV
PCV = (MCV (fl) x RBC (10^12/l)) / 1000 = … l/l / %
The physiological range of PCV
in most species: 0.35-0.45 l/l or 35-45 %.
- What is oligocythaemia/anaemia?
2. What is polycythaemia?
- The decrease of the PCV
- The increase of the PCV
Both can be physiological or pathological, absolute or relative.
Normal PCV result - normocythaemia
- In case of normovolaemia
- In case of hypovolaemia
- In case of hypervolaemia
Normocythaemia and…
- Normovolaemia: the fluid homeostasis and the number of RBC is normal
- Hypovolaemia: during acute blood loss or immediately afterwards – Ht does not change: Shock
- Hypervolaemia: overdosing of full blood transfusion, chronic stress (usually with high BP)
Causes of increased PCV (polycytaemia)
• False: long sample storage with EDTA – corpuscular volume of RBCs incr
• Physiological: (=absolute normovolaemic polycythaemias)
o Congenital
o Changes related to age: new borne animals
o Physiological long-term hypoxia: living in high altitude, regular intensive long training or work e.g. sled dogs (normovolaemic polycythaemia)
• Relative polycytaemia: decr plasma volume (dehydration – hypovolaemic polycythaemia) e.g. lack of drinking water, vomiting, diarrhoea
• Absolute polycythaemia (normovolaemic): incr RBC prod (primary and secondary)
• Complex problem: hypervolaemic polycythaemia – life threatening acute stress or extreme physical exercise
Physiological congenital increased PCV species and breed characteristics
lama, yak, greyhound, whippet, borzoi dogs, hot blooded horses
Absolute polycythaemia types
- PRIMARY: without incr erythropoietin (EPO) (bone marrow neoplasia - polycythaemia absoluta vera i.e. chronic leukaemia of RBCs)
- SECONDARY: due to incr EPO
a) TRUE: caused by long term hypoxia (can be physiological - low atmospheric O2, training) due to chronic respiratory or circulatory disorders e.g. brachycephal syndrome in dogs, ROA – recurrent airway obstruction in horses, right-left shunt in the heart
b) NOT TRUE: without hypoxia: autonomous incr of EPO (EPO producing tumour of the kidney, liver)
Causes of decreased PCV (oligocythaemia = anaemia)
- False: microcytosis (decr RBC volume), inappropriate sample homogenization etc.
- Physiological: incr. plasma volume in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy
- Relative: pathological incr in plasma volume (hyperhydration – hypervolaemic oligocythaemia) i.e. overdose of fluid therapy, terminal phase of chronic kidney insufficiency
- Absolute: these are normovolaemic oligocythaemias
- Complex problem: the absolute oligocythaemias listed above frequently cause refusal of water, vomiting or diarrhoea leading to hypovolaemic oligocythaemia
Absolute oligocythaemia types
- several hours after acute bleeding
- decr RBC prod.
a) suppression of bone marrow e.g. heavy metal poisoning, mycotoxins, drug side effects, viral infections (e.g. parvovirus)
b) lack of some nutrients e.g. iron, copper, B6, B12 vitamins, folic acid - decr life-span in circulation e.g. immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia (IHA), ectoparasitosis e.g. extensive flea invasion
- sequestration of RBCs in the spleen due to hypersplenismus
Additional information gained by examining blood in Ht tubes after centrifuging
- Colour change of plasma
- Buffy coat.
- Microfilaria larvae (Dirofilaria immitis or repens): on top of the buffy coat layer
Colour change of plasma
-Physiologically plasma: transparent; depending on sp. Colour can be yellowish or colourless like water.
• Reddish tint is seen in haemolysis. Can be intravascular haemolysis or due to error in sampling or sample handling/storage.
• White, opaque colour: indicates alimentary hyperlipidaemia or other lipid-metabolic disorder (e.g. diabetes mellitus, pancreatitis).
• Strong or dark yellow colour: sign of hyperbilirubinaemia (>30 µmol/l). In horses normal plasma is yellowish, since physiological blood bilirubin level is high (about 45
µmol/l). In ruminants yellowish plasma is seen if there is high carotenoid (especially Beta-carotene) content in feedstuff. In these species colourless or very pale plasma may be a sign of carotene-deficiency.
• Chocolate brown colour is suggestive for methaemoglobinaemia.
Buffy coat
- What is it?
- Physiological width
- When does the width increase/decrease?
- On the top of the RBC layer the WBCs form a white(ish)
layer, the buffy-coat layer. - The physiological width of this layer is 1-2 mm in a tube of 10 cm, 1-2 units on the Ht scale.
- In case of substantial increase (leukocytosis, leukaemia) of decrease of the WBC count.
Estimation of dehydration based on clinical symptoms
-Mild:
<5% - clinically hardly detectable (somewhat decreased skin elasticity, dryer mucosa)
5-6% - decrease of skin turgor
6-8% - decrease of skin turgor, enophthalmos and/or dry mucosa
-Moderate: 8-10% - longer CRT, dry mucosa, enophthalmos, tachycardia, strongly decr skin elasticity
-Advanced:
10-12% - signs of shock may occur (weak pulse, tachycardia, cold extremities, low BP), skin remains in the pulled up fold, disturbed consciousness
12-15% - Shock, life threatening
Normovolaemia
- Normocythaemic
- Oligocythaemic
- Polycythaemic
- Normocythaemic - normal status
- Oligocythaemic – also called anaemia: may occur some hours after acute blood loss, absolute anaemias e.g. decr prod. (e.g. suppression of BM in heavy metal toxicities, mycotoxins, drug side effects), shorter life-span e.g. IHA, hypersplenismus
- Polycythaemic – can be false, physiological (species, breed, age characteristics) or pathological. These are absolute polycythaemias e.g. non-EPO or EPO-dependent, true or false
Hypovolaemia:
- Normocythaemic
- Oligocythaemic
- Polycythaemic
- Normocythaemic – immediately after acute bleeding, shock (in hypovolaemic shock, and relative hypovolaemia in anaphylactic and cardiogen shock)
- Oligocythaemic – concurrent dehydration and anaemia (e.g. chronic renal failure or suppression of bone marrow + vomiting, diarrhoea)
- Polycythaemic – most frequent form of polycythaemia: relative polycythaemias: e.g. vomiting, diarrhoea, polyuria, loss of plasma e.g. burns)
Hypervolaemia:
- Normocythaemic
- Oligocythaemic
- Polycythaemic
- Normocythaemic – acute stress e.g. strenuous exercise, hyperthermia, fever. Relative volume increase is due to vasoconstriction. Absolute volume
increase: full blood transfusion overdose. - Oligocythaemic – relative oligocythaemia: in 3rd trimester of pregnancy(physiological), infusion overdose, acute renal failure (subterminal phase of oliguria, anuria)
- Polycythaemic – acute stress, where vasoconstriction occurs together with spleen contraction (strenuous exercise, hyperthermia, fever etc.)
Serum osmolality
- What is it?
- Expressed in?
- Osmolality expresses the osmotic pressure of the (body) fluids.
- Expressed in different units than osmolality:
osmolality – kg, osmolarity – l.
The unit of osmolality is osmol/kg, but in practice 10-3rd of this unit is used: miliosmol per kilogram (mOsmol/kg or
mOsm/kg)
Methods for measure serum osmolality
- Mathematical method: in plasma or serum
- Measurement of osmolality using osmometer: measures the freezing point of the sample compared to the freezing point of water
Mathematical method for serum osmolality
Osmolality (mOsm/kg) = 2 (Na+ + K+) + urea + glucose