Week 7 - Anemia from Blood Loss

Question 1

What is acute blood loss?

Answer 1

• develops quickly from an active bleed

Question 2

What is chronic blood loss?

Answer 2

• develops slowly as small amounts of blood are lost over a long period of time

Question 3

What may cause acute blood loss? (2)

Answer 3

• trauma
• blood vessel rupture

Question 4

What may cause chronic blood loss? (3)

Answer 4

• gastritis
• menstrual flow
• hemorrhoids

Question 5

What are the signs and symptoms of acute blood loss? (2, 3)

Answer 5

1. Internal bleeding may go unnoticed
   - abdominal pain, back pain, hidden bowel
2. May be first noticed with decreased BP and increased HR

Question 6

What happens with rapid acute blood loss?

Answer 6

• body cannot adjust if too much blood leaves the vascular system

Question 7

What occurs in chronic blood loss anemia? (2)

Answer 7

• the body can adjust but may use up iron stores
• Appears as an iron deficiency anemia (subtle since body is used to functioning with less blood)

Question 8

When can an individual experience chronic blood loss? (2)

Answer 8

• heavy excessive menstrual periods if too much blood is lost
• bleeding from bowel, gastritis, ulcer may be slow and unnoticed (FOBT - fetal occult blood test)

Question 9

How is anemia from blood loss treated? (4)

Answer 9

1. if acute, determine the cause and treat it (stop acute bleeding)
2. may replace blood or components of blood (transfusion)
3. if chronic, need to determine cause and treat it (stop chronic bleeding)
4. iron supplements are common treatment to replace lost iron and rebuild the body’s stores so that normal RBC production can resume in the bone marrow

Question 10

1 unit of packed RBC given = ___ Hb

Answer 10

10

Question 11

Epoetin Alfa (erythropoetin) is a ______ growth factor

Answer 11

hematopoetic

Question 12

What is epoetin alfa (erythropoetin)?

Answer 12

• hormone that is normally made in the kidneys which stimulates RBC production in the bone marrow

Question 13

What is erythropoetin used for?

Answer 13

• used to increase erythrocyte counts in clients with chronic anemia due to certain diseases (cancer, kidney disease), or before surgery or procedure where bleeding might occur

Question 14

How is erythropoetin administered? (3)

Answer 14

• IV
• small doses should be given to gradually raise erythrocytes levels
• levels that rise too quickly can lead to adverse effects that can be severe

Question 15

What are the side and adverse effects of erythropoetin? (3)

Answer 15

• hypertension
• MI
• clots and cardiac arrest if Hgb increases too much

Question 16

We cannot give erythropoetin if Hgb is ____ or higher

Answer 16

110g/L
usually given for ppl with hemodialysis