Ch 9 Flashcards
The CBC should consist of what?
Total red blood cells (RBC) count
Packed cell volume (PCV) - Hematocrit
Plasma protein concentration - Total protein
Total white blood cell (WBC) count -
blood firm examination - Differential WBC count, erythrocyte and leukocyte morphology, and platelet estimation
Reticulocyte count - if anemia is suspected or present
Hemoglobin concentration
Erythrocyte indices - MCV, MCH, MCHC
What is the PCV?
the percentage of the whole blood that is composed of erythrocytes or RBCs
What are the layers of the microhematocrit tube after being centrifuged?
- Bottom layer - RBCs - dark red - called sediment
- middle layer - Buffy coat - whitish-gray - consists of WBCs and platelets, height - rough estimate of total WBC count
- Top layer - plasma - clear to pale yellow fluid - called supernatant
Plasma layer can have different colors, what do they mean?
normal - clear to pale yellow
lipemic - cloudy and white
hemolysis - reddish tinge
icteric - deep yellow
Centrifuge microhematocrit tube for how many minutes?
5 minutes - depending on manufacturer instructions and/or speed of machine
Reading and recording results of PCV and TP?
top of plasma or serum layer should be at same level of 100 line
top of clay plug should be at same level as 0 line
PCV is read at level where RBCs meet the buffy coat layer
Recorded as %
What are the significance of results from a PCV?
can be: pathologic condition
if below normal can be anemia or overhydration
if above normal can be polycythemia or dehydration
Define polycythemia?
A condition marked by an abnormally large number of red blood cells in the circulatory system.
If hematocrit tube is lipemic, what does this do to sample?
false increase in the total protein reading
What is the difference between total plasma protein vs total serum protein?
Plasma has no fibrogen in it and serum does have fibrogen in it
What is hemoglobin?
a protein molecule that is the functional unit of the erythrocyte
Hemoglobin consists of what two main components?
the heme portion, which contains iron and the globin portion, which is composed of paired chains of amino acids
When does the synthesis of hemoglobin occur?
during maturation of the RBCs in the bone marrow
After entering the circulation, different forms of hemoglobin can exists, what are they?
oxyhemoglobin - hemoglobin that is bound to oxygen
methemoglobin (occurs naturally) and sulfhemoglobin (results from cell aging) - both of these forms are inefficient when it comes to oxygen transport
Erythrocyte indices can be used to help classify?
types of anemia
