Hematology Lab Part 2 Flashcards
The blood contains 3 specialized classes of cells or “formed elements”
Red blood cells (erythrocytes)
White blood cells (leukocytes)
Platelets (thrombocytes)
Another name for RBC
Erythrocytes
Another name for WBC
Leukocytes
Another name for Platelets
Thrombocytes
The function of these cells are to transport oxygen and carbon dioxide
RBC
The function of these cells are to combat infections and invading organisms
WBC
The function of these cells are to prevent blood loss
Platelets
Normal Blood Cell Values of RBC in Males
5.4 +/- 0.8 million per cubic millimeter (mm^3)
Normal Blood Cell Values of RBC in Females
4.8 +/- 0.6 million per cubic millimeter (mm^3)
Normal Blood Cell Values of WBC in Males
7-9000 per mm^3
Normal Blood Cell Values of WBC in Females
5-7000 per mm^3
Normal Blood Cell Values of Platelets
150,000 to 400,000 per mm^3
average = 300,000 per mm^3
Which are not true “cells”?
Erythrocytes and the Platelets;
They both lack nuclei and are unable to undergo mitosis to form daughter cells;
nothing more than “bags” to carry specific chemicals;
hemoglobin in RBC & platelet factor 3 in the platelets
If each gram of hemoglobin in the RBC is maximally saturated with oxygen, it can carry about
1.34 mL of oxygen
In each 100 mL of blood there is roughly
15 g of Hb, hence around 20 mL of oxygen can be carried in every 100 mL of blood
Anemia often results from
an abnormal decrease in the number of erythrocytes, so that insufficient oxygen is carried to the tissues and they become oxygen starved
other factors may also cause anemia, such as decreased Hb in each cell, decreased cell size, hemorrhage, etc.
In order to accurately diagnose the cause of anemia the total erythrocyte picture must be examined
hematocrit, hemoglobin, RBC count, cell size, hemoglobin in each cell, etc
Automatic device that makes cell counts
Coulter Counter
Hemocytometer
Each of the 2 counting chambers for counting blood cells are
9 mm squares divided into 9 squares, each measuring 1 mm square;
4 corner squares are used for counting leukocytes and are divided into 16 smaller squares
The center 1 mm^2 square is divided into 25 small squares (1/25 mm^2), and each is further subdivided into 16 smaller squares
Leukopenia
Deficient number of leukocytes
Leukocytosis
Abnormally high number of leukocytes
Which chemical do RBC carry?
Hemoglobin
Which chemical do platelets carry?
platelet factor 3
Tool we used in our blood lab for diluting
Thoma Pipettes
Purpose of Hayem’s or Gower’s solution
preserve the corpuscles and prevent coagulation
The dilution of RBC was by a factor of
200X
The depth of the counting chamber for RBC was by a factor of
10X
The area of the RBC was multiplied by a factor of
25X
The total multiplication factor for RBC is
200 X 10 X 25 = 50,000
If you were to count an average of 120 RBC per 1/25 mm^2 square, your RBC count would be
120 X 50,000 = 6,000,000 RBC per mm^3
By calculating the RBC size and the percentage of hemoglobin each cell carries, we are able to more accurately pinpoint the cause of
Anemia
Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV)
MCV = hematocrit (% red cells) X 10 / RBC count (millions/mm^3)
Normal Range of MCV
87 +/- 2 cubic microns
Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC)
MCHC (%) = hemoglobin (g/100ml blood) X 100 / hematocrit (%)
Normal Range of MCHC
34 +/- 2% of the RBC is hemoglobin
The WBC were diluted by a factor of
X20
The WBC depth was by a factor of
X10
The average number of cells in 1 mm^2 were counted by a factor of
X1
The total multiplication factor for WBC
20 X 10 X 1 = 200
