Week 5 - Haematology and Vascular Nursing Flashcards
What is plasma?
Transports nutrients, hormones, and proteins. It is a yellow liquid that makes up about 55% of the body’s blood volume.
What are platelets?
Form clots to stop bleeding. Platelets make up less than 1% of blood.
What are red blood cells?
Carry fresh oxygen through the body and remove carbon dioxide. Red blood cells make up about 40 to 45% of blood.
What are white blood cells?
Part of the body’s immune system, detect and fight viruses and bacteria.
When is hemoglobin considered to be low in men and women for anaemia?
In women, anaemia happens when the hemoglobin concentration drops below 120g/L. In men it occurs when the hemoglobin drops below 140g/L.
What is anaemia?
Anaemia is a deficiency in the number of erythrocytes (red blood cells - RBC), the quantity or quality of hemoglobin, and/or the volume of red blood cells (hematocrit).
What is hematopoiesis?
The process of formation of all blood cells.
What are the main components of hematopoiesis system?
The main components of the haematopoietic system are the blood, bone marrow, lymph nodes, thymus and spleen, liver and kidneys.
What is a normal red blood cells lifespan?
120 days
Three main causes of anaemia:
- Decreased RBC production
- Blood loss
- Increased RBC destruction
Clinical manifestations of anaemia:
- Pallor
- Systolic murmurs - due to low blood viscosity
- Breathlessness and exercise intolerance
- Tachycardia
- Angina, heart failure and AMI
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
Nursing management of anaemia:
- Administration of supportive haematopoiesis medications
- Support with ADLs - due to fatigue
- Oxygenation support
- Relevant risk assessments (falls, skin integrity, cognitive impairment)
- Nutritional support
What do diagnostic tests of anaemia involve?
- Complete health history: looking for reasons for decreased production or increased destruction and loss of RBCs
- Thorough physical examination: clinical manifestations of anaemia and potential causes
- Full blood count and peripheral blood smear: to determine morphology (appearance) of RBCs
Iron supplement adverse reactions:
- Nausea
- Abdominal cramping
- Constipation or diarrhoea
Uncommon but potentially life threatening reactions include: - Anaphylaxis (with parenteral (IM or IV) administration)
- Iron overload
- Acute iron toxicity (associated with children accidentally swallowing iron tablets)
What is erythropoietin?
Replacement of red blood cells is called hematopoiesis and is regulated by growth factors including erythropoietin. This acts on erythropoietin receptors on the surface of erythroid progenitor cells, stimulating maturation of immature erythrocytes.
Indication of erythropoietin:
Erythropoietin is used to treat anaemia caused by erythropoietin deficiency including:
- Chronic kidney disease
- AIDS
- Cancer
Erythropoietin mechanism of action:
Erythropoietin is a glycoprotein produced in the juxta tubular cells in the kidney, and interestingly also in macrophages. It is responsible for stimulating erythroid progenitor cells to proliferate and generate erythrocytes.
Adverse reactions to erythropoietin:
Common:
- Transient flu-like clinical manifestations
- Hypertension and headache
- Increased risk of thrombosis
Nursing care considerations of erythropoietin:
- Iron and folate deficiency must be corrected before starting treatment
- Erythropoietin is typically given by subcutaneous injection weekly or monthly depending on drug
- Monitor blood pressure (hypertension is very common) and for thrombosis formation
- Provide counselling around flu-like clinical manifestations early in treatment
What is venous thrombosis?
Venous thrombosis involves the formation of a thrombus in association with inflammation of the vein. It is the most common disorder of the veins and is classified as either deep venous thrombosis (DVT) or superficial venous thrombosis (SVT).
What is DVT?
Deep vein thrombosis typically involves the iliac and femoral veins in the leg and pelvis, but can involve the arms as well.
What is VTE?
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the preferred terminology as it represents the spectrum of pathology from deep/superficial vein thrombosis to pulmonary embolism (PE).
Three factors that promote venous thrombosis:
- Venous stasis
- Venous endothelial damage
- Hypercoagulability
What is virchow’s triad?
Virchow’s triad represents three qualities in physiology that can result in thrombosis, which can lead to pathologies such as pulmonary embolism and deep venous thrombosis.
What is part of the hypercoagulable state in Virchow’s triad?
- Cancer
- Oestrogen therapy
- Pregnancy
- Acute inflammatory disorder
- Acute infection
What is part of the endothelial injury in Virchow’s triad?
- Trauma or surgery
- Venous valve disease
- Atherosclerosis
What is part of the circulatory stasis in Virchow’s triad?
- Left ventricular dysfunction
- Immobility
- Venous insufficiency
- Previous VTE
DVT clinical manifestations:
- Limb oedema (excessive accumulation of fluid within the interstitial space)
- Dilated visible superficial veins
- Dull ache along the limb
- Paresthesia
- Warm skin
- Redness
DVT nursing management:
- Reducing risk factors
- Providing patient education
- Administering anticoagulant and/or thrombolytic medications
- Promoting mobility
- Monitoring coagulation factors and clotting times
- Monitoring for bleeding associated with pharmacological therapy
- Monitoring and managing pain to provide comfort
DVT diagnostic investigations:
Diagnostic tests may include;
- Blood test measuring D-Dimer: D-Dimer is a fragment of fibrin formed as a result of fibrin degradation and clot lysis - elevated level suggests venous thrombosis
- Duplex Ultrasound: using high frequency sound waves to measure the speed and structure of the blood flow in the arteries and veins
What is coagulation?
Coagulation involves the conversion of liquid blood to a solid clot - to plug holes in injured blood vessels to prevent life threatening haemorrhage.
What are the two pathways of the clotting cascade?
The clotting cascade has two pathways termed the intrinsic (all coagulation factors are within the blood vessel) and extrinsic (some components outside of the blood vessel) pathways.
Examples of anticoagulants:
- Heparin
- Warfarin
- Low molecular weight heparin
- Novel oral anticoagulants (dabigantin, rivaroxaban)
Examples of antiplatelets:
- Aspirin
- Clopidogrel
What are thrombolytics?
Dissolves (lyse) blood clots (thrombi)
- Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)
- Streptokinase (SK)
- Urokinase (UK)
Heparin mechanism of action:
Heparin inhibits coagulation by activating antithrombin III. Antithrombin III inhibits thrombin, which you will remember is part of the coagulation cascade heparin increases the affinity of antithrombin III for the products it binds to.