Exam 1 (general info) Flashcards
What is hematology?
study of the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of blood-forming elements
What is plasma?
fluid collected from blood in the presence of anti-coagulant (contains antibodies)
What does plasma consist of?
90% water | proteins | inorganic salts (NaCl, bicarbonate) | organic substances (glucose, urea) | gases (O2, CO2) | miscellaneous
What proteins are in plasma?
albumins and antibodies
What are albumins?
insoluble proteins that are able to reduce toxicity in the body
What are the formed elements in blood?
all of the leukocytes and erythrocytes
What are the 3 granulocytes?
neutrophils (PMN) | basophil | eosinophil
What do agranulocytes consist of?
monocytes and lymphocytes
What are the 2 things that one needs to look at during a disease process? Which aspect is more important and why?
cell number count within normal range | function is normal = more important aspect because normal numbers don’t always indicate patient is good
Where do all blood cells come from?
hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow
Which cells have lobulated nuclei?
granulocytes
What does a blood cell with fine chromatin and nucleoli indicate?
cell is young/mature
What happens to the chromatin as the blood cell ages?
will be thicker and more condensed
What are 4 diseases that are associated with levels of WBCs?
HIV/AIDS | leukemia | lymphoma | immunodeficiency
What does the suffix “-penia” mean?
lower than normal value
What does the suffix “-cytosis” mean?
higher than normal value
What is lymphoma? What is an example of a lymphoma disease?
increase number in WBCs (lymphocytes) | Hodgkin’s
What is the tendency of blood to coagulate due to?
absence of anticoagulants
What does serum contain?
anything not part of the coagulation process
What is coagulation?
same thing as clotting
What does VPRC stand for?
volume packed RBCs
What does VPRC (crit) tell you?
how many RBCs patient has in their blood compared to total volume
What does a low VPRC indicate?
low RBC count = may be anemic
What does pink plasma indicate?
RBC lysis
What atom is important for the clotting process?
Ca2+
What are the 3 anti-coagulants that bind and sequester Ca2+?
ammonium or potassium oxalate | EDTA | sodium citrate
What is heparin?
anti-thrombin = stops coagulation
What is serum?
fluid collected after blood coagulation
What are “relative” numbers?
percentage of a cell type present against the total number of all WBCs |
What are “absolute” numbers?
exact quantity of a cell type in the body that is actually circulating
Which one is more important: relative or absolute?
absolute
What is the largest blood cell type?
monocytes
What “age” must all cells in the circulation must be?
mature
What are the 4 characteristics that one must look out when distinguishing between WBCs?
size compared to RBC | nucleus | granules | staining
What is hepatomegaly?
enlarged liver
What is splenomegaly?
enlarged spleen
What is lymphadenopathy?
enlarged lymph node
What is a responsive bone marrow?
when it produces more WBCs or RBCs (depending on case) due to cytosis and those produced cells actually come out of the bone marrow and are functional
What cells are not commonly detected in the bone marrow?
lymphocytes - they leave somewhat mature from BM and reach full maturity in the lymph nodes
What does the reticulo-endothelial system contain?
bone marrow | lymph node | spleen | peyer’s patches | cells in circulation
What are the 2 parts of the bone marrow?
red and white marrow
What is the red marrow?
active synthesis of RBCs