Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

LEAH FCP > Red cell parameters > Flashcards

Red cell parameters Flashcards

1
Q

What are the parts of a haematology report?

A
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What are we looking for when assessing RBCs?

A

Red cell mass
- PCV/Hct, RBCC, Hgb

Evidence for effective & appropriate erythropoiesis
- size & colour (MCV, MCHC)
- reticulocyte count

Red cells size & variation
- MCV, RDW

Red cell haemoglobinisation (colour)
- MCHC

Red cell shapes & inclusions
- smear

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What are we assessing when evaluating the erythron?

A

Is there inadequate, adequate or excessive red cell mass to deliver oxygen to tissues?

Is there evidence of anaemia?

Is there evidence of polycythaemia?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is polycythaemia?

A

Too many RBCs

relative - Apparent increase in RBC due to decrease in fluid in circulation (often increase total protein & albumin)

absolute - True increase in RBC mass due to increased RBC production/release

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Which parameters measure red cell mass & oxygen carrying capacity?

A

PCV
RBCC (red blood cell count)
Hgb

  • all equally affected by haemoconcentration
  • increase & decrease in line so interpreted as a block
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

How is PCV calculated?

A

MCV x RBCC

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

When might PCV be calculated wrong in an analyser?

A

RBCs miscounted:
-mistaken for platelets
- aggregated into pairs & triplets

MCV misleading:
- cell shrinkage or swelling (transport, tube filling, osmotic effect of machine)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What does a high MCHC suggest?

A

Haemolysis or lipaemia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is the rule of 3?

A

PCV = Hgb x 3 (+/-3%)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Describe normocytic anaemia

A

red blood cells that are normal in size but abnormally low in number

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Describe normochromic anaemia

A

having a normal amount of haemoglobin in red blood cells

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Describe macrocytic anaemia

A

larger than normal red blood cells

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Describe microcytic anaemia

A

Smaller than normal RBCs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Describe hypochromic anaemia

A

red blood cells are paler than normal caused by a lack of haemoglobin

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What does normocytic normochromic anaemia suggest?

A

Often anaemia of illness or pre-regenerative (occasionally non-regenerative)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What does macrocyctic hypochromic anaemia suggest?

A

Classic highly regenerative

(Sometimes could just be cell swelling of transport)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What does microcytic hypochromic anaemia suggest?

A

Classic iron deficiency - chronic external blood loss

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

How is polycythaemia identified?

A

Increase in PCV, Hgb concentration & RBC count

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What are some causes of relative polycythaemia?

A

Dehydration

Exercise/fear/excitement/severe pain - stress
- Adrenaline secretion, splenic contraction & transient redistribution of RBC from spleen to circulation

Resolves after rehydration or removal of cause of splenic contraction

20
Q

What are some causes of absolute polycythaemia?

A

Primary polycythaemia:
- rare myeloproliferative disorder
- abnormal response of RBC precursors
- Normal EPO levels

Secondary polycythaemia:
- Chronic tissue hypoxia of renal tissues (low arterial pO2) due to:
- heart/lung diseases, high altitude, thrombosis, constriction of renal vessels
- Renal tumor or cysts [↑intra-capsular pressure]
- Increased EPO

21
Q

What are reticulocytes?

A

Young erythrocytes prematurely released to blood from bone marrow in regenerative anaemias

22
Q

How can reticulocytes be visualised?

A

New methylene blue (NMB) precipitation demonstrates RNA-protein complexes (ribosomal RNA & mitochondria)

Young red cells including reticulocytes have “polychromatophil” appearance on Romanowsky (routine) stain

23
Q

What are the clinical applications of reticulocyte observation?

A

Evaluation of erythopoiesis in bone marrow

Differentiation of regenerative & non-regenerative anaemia

24
Q

Describe reticulocytes of dogs

A

Low number of reticulocytes (<1%)

Except >60x10^9/L in regenerative anaemia

25
Q

Describe reticulocytes of cats

A

Low number of reticulocytes (0.2-1.6%)

Have 2 morphological types of reticulocytes:
- ‘aggregate’ blue stained coarse clumping (0.5% of erythrocytes)
- ‘punctate’ small, blue stained dots (1-10%)

Kinetics of Aggregate vs Punctate means we only consider Aggregate in assessment of regeneration

Expect >50x109/L in regenerative anaemia

26
Q

Describe reticulocytes of ruminants & horses

A

Virtually no reticulocytes in normal blood;

Reticulocytes may not appear even in very severe anaemias in horses

In cattle peak production 7-14 days post acute blood loss

27
Q

What species do these RBCs belong to?

A

dog

28
Q

What species do these RBCs belong to?

A

horse

29
Q

What species do these RBCs belong to?

A

ruminant

30
Q

What species do these RBCs belong to?

A

cat

31
Q

Describe the RBC morphology of dogs

A

Larger erythrocytes
Uniform size
Central pallor

32
Q

Describe the RBC morphology of cats

A

Smaller erythrocytes
Anisocytosis (variation in size)
Scarce central pallor (less concave)

33
Q

Describe the RBC morphology of horses

A

Rouleaux
(sedimentation tendency)

34
Q

Describe the RBC morphology of ruminants

A

Anisocytosis and crenation

35
Q

What are some RBC variations within dog breeds?

A

Macrocytosis in some poodles

Akitas have unusually small erythrocytes & particularly high potassium content

Greyhounds have high PCVs

36
Q

What causes poikilocytosis (alteration in cell shape)?

A

abnormal erythropoeisis
specific organ dysfunction

37
Q

Give examples of different RBC shapes

A

Codocytes (Target cells, Fe defic)
Spherocytes (IMHA)
Acanthocytes
Schistocytes
Echinocytes (Artefacts) crenation – ‘burr cells’

38
Q

Give examples of RBC inclusions

A

Howell Jolly bodies

Basophilic stippling

Nucleated RBC’s

Infectious agents:
- Mycoplasma
- Babesia
- Viral inclusions

Heinz bodies

39
Q

Identify this RBC shape

A

Schistocytes

(erythrocyte fragmentation)

40
Q

Identify this RBC shape

A

Acanthocytes

(Few irregular elongations of RBC border with rounded ends)

41
Q

Identify this RBC shape

A

Crenation (echinocytes)

(numerous pin-point projections)

42
Q

What are the main causes of crenation?

A

Artefact (e.g. delayed drying of smear)

Metabolic diseases

43
Q

What is Rouleaux formation?

A

Clustering, sticky, piling of RBCs

Normal finding in horses

Indicates inflammation in small animals

Relates to increased “stickiness” of plasma with increased globulin content

44
Q

What are the causes of agglutination?

A

Immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia

Mismatched blood transfusion

45
Q

How can agglutination be confirmed?

A

Mix 1 drop of blood with 1 drop of saline

Agglutination will persist, rouleaux formation will disperse

LEAH FCP (77 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions