Blood Flashcards
What is Plasma?
Fluid portion of blood. Made up of 90% water, and 10% dissolved constitutes such as protein, vitamins, minerals, hormones, antibodies, wastes, etc.
What is serum?
Serum is essentially plasma without the fibrinogen. If we spin down a clotting tube and collect the liquid portion, it contains no longer contains fibrinogen and is now serum.
How many different types of white blood cells are there? What are they called?
Neutrophils
Eosinophils
Lymphocytes
Monocytes
Basophils
What is the purpose of a differential?
Tells us how many of each WBC is present in sample.
What is included in a CBC?
RBC count
Hematocrit RBC Volume (HCT)
Hemoglobin Concentration (Hgb)
WBC Count
What must you check your purple or green tube for before processing sample?
Clots. Can affect results, or potentially damage analyzer.
What artifacts can a difficult venipuncture cause?
Platelet clumping
Hemolysis (Shredding of RBC’s)
What artifacts can low sample volume cause?
shrinkage of RBC’s
Sample clotting
What artifacts can rough handling cause?
Shredding of RBC’s
Platelet clumping
How long can samples be refrigerated for?
7 days at 4 degrees Celsius
What artifacts can be caused by a sample that is too old?
Change in cell shape and size
Crystallization
Platelet clumping
Change in cell shape to resemble infection (Dohle Bodies)
What is caused by stain artifacts?
Globs left of slides
Precipitation or water drops
What is the purpose of a blood smear?
Hematology
Evaluation for parasites
What are the 3 regions of a blood smear?
Body, counting area, feathered edge
What area of a blood smear do you count cells in?
Counting area - Located between Body and feathered edge
What are the 4 parts of blood?
RBC’S
WBC’S
Platlets
Plasma
Red blood cells are also know as
Erythrocytes
What is the purpose of RBC’s?
Transport O2 and CO2
What does PCV tell us?
Gives us an idea of how much haemoglobin is in the body?
What is Hemaglobin?
It is a protein that carries Oxygen.
What colour are RBC’s when stained?
Salmon pink
What are the measurements for RBC counts?
RBC X 10^12/ L or RBC X 10^6 / microliters
How do you calculate an estimated value for Hemoglobin?
PCV divided by 3
What are the 3 RBC indices?
MCV, MCH, MCHC
What is MCV?
Mean Corpuscular Volume
indicator of cell size
What is MCH?
Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin
average amount of hemoglobin in each RBC
What is MCHC?
Mean Corpuscular Hemaglobin Concentration
Average amount of Hemoglobin in a specific volume of blood
White blood cells are also known as
Leukocytes
What is the main purpose of WBC’s?
They are immune cells. They fight infection.
What colour are WBC’s when stained?
Purple
How many WBC’s do you need to identify when doing a differential?
100
How many WBC’s do you need to identify in a differential if the pt’s WBC count is high?
200
How is the number of each WBC determined?
By multiplying the percentage of each type of cell by the total number
What colour is plasma?
Yellow
What does plasma provide to the body?
Transports dissolved electrolytes, nutrients, hormones, vitamins, antibodies and hormones.
Also conducts heat.
What does PCV stand for?
Packed cell volume
Why does plasma contain so much protein ?
Because vitamins, minerals, electrolytes and nutrients all contribute protein. They are all broken down within plasma
Once a microhematocrit tube has been spun down? What should be done before the tube is broken for TP?
Gross examination of colour and clarity.
What does it mean if the plasma is yellow once spun down?
The sample is Icteric
What does it mean if the plasma is pink?
It means that the RBC’s in the sample are shredding. Which could be due to collection or possibly anemia.
Total protein can also be referred to as
Plasma protein concentration
Platelets are also know as
Thrombocytes
What is the purpose of platelets?
To net together when needed to form a clot and reduce blood loss
What do platelets develop when activated?
They develop spinous projects to help them stick together
What tubes would you use for testing on platelets?
Blue Tube - Sodium Citrate
Grey Tube - Potassium Oxolate
