Haematology Flashcards
What is haemostatic system?
responsbile for maintaining blood fluidity and preventing blood loss by activating rapid, localised clotting at sites of vascular damage.
What is haematopoiesis?
Making of blood cells - starting from pluripotent set cell which gives rise to different blood cells
Which cells do platelets originate from?
Megakaryocytes
What is Full Blood Count for?
Broad screening test that checks for disorders such as anaemia, infection and much more.
What is WBC in FBC?
White Blood Cell count.
the actual number of white blood cells per volume of blood.
What is white blood cell differential in FBC?
Looks at types of white blood cells present.
5 types: neutrophils, lymphocytes, moocytes, eosinophils and basophils.
What is RBC in FBC?
Red Blood Cell count.
the actual number of red blood cells per volume of blood.
What is haemocrit in FBC?
Measures the amount of space red blood cells take up in the blood.
Reported as a percentage (0 to 100) or proportion (0 to 1) .
What is platelet count in FBC?
number of platelets in given volume of blood.
What are platelets important for?
Integral to haemostats
Aid inflammatory and immune responses. Help maintain vascular integrity
Contribute to wound healing
What is mean platelet volume in FBC?
machine calculated measurement of the average size of your platelets.
New platelets are larger. increased MPV occurs when increased number of platelets are produced.
What is MCV in FBC?
Mean corpuscular volume.
Measurement of average size of RBCs.
Decreased MCV = RBCs smaller than normal, may indicate iron deficiency anaemia, inflammation or sometimes thalassaemias
What is MCH in FBC?
Mean corposcular haemoglobin
Calculation of the amount of O2 carrying haemoglobin inside your RBCs.
What is MCHC in FBC?
Mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration.
The concentration of Hb in RBCs
Decreased seen where Hb is abnormally seen diluted inRBCs - such as iron deficiency anaemia or thalassaemia
Increased such as spherocytosis
Helps with interpretation of MCH and diagnosing specific red cell disorders.
What is RDW in FBC
Red cell distribution width
Calculates variation in the size of your RBcs
In some anaemias such as iron deficiency there is increase in variation of RBC size