Hematology
1H07.01
Explain the structure of the blood.
A. Adult = 8-10 pints
B. Composition
1. Plasma
2. Serum
3. Cellular components (red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets)
C. Plasma
1. Straw colored
2. Contains water, blood proteins, plasma proteins, nutrients, etc.
D. Erythrocytes
1. Shape = biconcave discs, donut-shaped
2. Hemoglobin
a. Gives red color
b. Heme is iron, globin is protein
c. Arterial blood is bright red = lots of oxygen
d. Venous blood is dark crimson = lots of CO 2
E. Leukocytes
1. May be granular, agranular, translucent or ameboid
2. Larger than erythrocytes
3. Types of white cells
a. Neutrophils
b. Eosinophils
c. Basophils
d. Lymphocytes
e. Monocytes
F. Thrombocytes
1. Platelets
2. Make the blood clot
3. Smallest solid components of blood
4. Not cells – fragments of megakaryocytes
1H07.02
Analyze the function of the blood.
A. Four main functions
1. Transport oxygen, nutrients, cellular waste products and
hormones
2. Aids in distribution of heat
3. Regulates acid-base balance
4. Helps protect against infection
B. Plasma
1. Liquid part of blood
2. Plasma proteins
a. Fibrinogen – blood clotting
b. Albumin – osmotic pressure and volume
c. Prothrombin – helps blood coagulate, production dependent
on Vitamin K
4. Reduction of Heparin
Summer 2005 E.1
C. Erythrocytes
1. Contain hemoglobin
a. Transports O2 to tissues and CO2 away from cells
b. Red cells travel to lungs to get O2 and give up CO2, then to
tissues to deliver O2 and pick up CO2
2. Erythropoiesis – manufacture of red cells in bone marrow
3. Life span
a. Red cells live 120 days
b. Old cells broken down by spleen and liver
4. Hemolysis – rupture of erythrocyte from blood transfusion or
disease
D. Leukocytes
1. Fight infection
2. Phagocytosis – white cells surround, engulf and digest harmful
bacteria
3. Basophils produce heparin – and anticoagulant
4. Diapedesis – when white cells move through capillary walls into
neighboring tissues
5. Inflammation
a. Body’s reaction to chemical and physical trauma
b. Pathogenic – disease producing microorganisms that can
cause infection
c. Symptoms – redness, local heat, swelling and pain
d. Why? Bacterial toxins, increased blood flow, collection of
plasma in tissues (edema)
E. Thrombocytes (Platelets)
1. Synthesized in red marrow
2. Necessary for the initiation of the blood clotting process
F. Coagulation
1. Cut or injury causes to break/clump
2. Chain reaction follows and involves the release of
thromboplastin, prothrombin, thrombin and fibrinogen
3. Fibrin creates a mesh that traps red blood cells, platelets and
plasma, creating a blood clot
4. Anticoagulants prevent blood clotting
5. Heparin is an anticoagulant
G. Blood types
1. Four major types, determined by presence or absence of an
antigen on the surface of the red blood cell
a. A
b. B
c. O
d. AB
2. Inherited from parents
3. Antibody – a protein in the plasma that will inactivate a foreign
substance that enters the body
a. Someone with type A blood has b antibodies
b. Someone with type B blood has a antibodies
c. Someone with type AB blood has no antibodies
d. Someone with type O blood has a and b antibodies
4. Universal donor – O
5. Universal recipient – AB
6. Red cells may also contain Rh factor
Summer 2005 E.2
1H07.03
Discuss characteristics and treatment of common blood
disorders.
A. Inflammation
1. Pus
2. Abscess
3. Pyrexia
4. Leukocytosis
5. Edema
B. Leukopenia – decrease in WBCs
C. Anemia – deficiency in number or % of RBCs
1. Iron-deficiency anemia
a. Usually women, children and adolescents
b. Deficiency of dietary iron causing insufficient hemoglobin
c. Rx with iron supplements, green leafy vegetables
2. Aplastic anemia
a. Bone marrow does not produce enough blood cells
b. Cause – drugs or radiation therapy
3. Sickle cell anemia
a. Chronic, inherited blood disorder
b. RBCs abnormal sickle (crescent) shape
c. Sickle cells break easily and carry less oxygen
d. Occurs primarily in African Americans
D. Polycythemia – too many RBCs
E. Embolism – moving blood clot
F. Thrombosis (thrombus) – formation of a blood clot in a vessel
G. Hematoma
1. Localized mass of blood found in organ, tissue or space
2. Caused by injury that causes a blood vessel to rupture
H. Hemophilia
1. Hereditary – sex-linked, transmitted from mother to son
2. Missing clotting factor
3. Blood clots slowly
4. Rx with missing clotting factor, avoid trauma
I. Thrombocytopenia
1. Not enough platelets
2. Blood does not clot properly
J. Leukemia
1. Malignancy
2. Overproduction of immature white blood cells
3. Research on cord blood
Summer 2005 E.3
Unit E: Hematology
Terminology List
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albumin
antibody
anticoagulant
antigen
basophil
coagulation
diapedesis
eosinophil
erythrocyte
erythropoiesis
fibrin
fibrinogen
hemoglobin
hemolysis
heparin
inflammation
leukocyte
lymphocyte
monocyte
neutrophil
pathogenic
phagocytosis
plasma
platelets
prothrombin
Rh factor
serum
thrombin
thrombocyte
universal donor
universal recipient
Summer 2005 E.4
Disorders and Related Terminology
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abscess
anemia
aplastic anemia
edema
embolism
hematoma
hemophilia
inflammation
iron-deficiency anemia
leukemia
leukocytosis
leukopenia
polycythemia
pus
pyrexia
Sickle cell anemia
thrombocytopenia
thrombosis
thrombus
Summer 2005 E.5
Average adult = 8-10 pints of blood
Functions:
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Transports nutrients, oxygen, cellular waste
products, and hormones
Aids in distribution of heat
Regulates acid-base balance
Helps protect against infection
Composition:
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PLASMA – liquid portion of blood without cellular
components
Serum – plasma after a blood clot is formed
Cellular elements are red cells, white cells and
platelets
Summer 2005 E.6
PLASMA
Straw colored, contains –

Water

Blood proteins

Plasma proteins
FIBRONOGEN – necessary for blood
clotting, synthesized in the liver
ALBUMIN – from the liver, helps
maintain blood’s osmotic pressure and
volume
PROTHROMBIN – a globulin which
helps blood coagulate. Vitamin K
necessary for prothrombin synthesis.
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Nutrients
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Electrolytes
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Hormones, vitamins, enzymes
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Metabolic waster products
ERYTHROCYTES
Shape = biconcave discs
HEMOGLOBIN – gives red
color, heme is iron and globin is protein.
Function = transports oxygen to tissues and
carbon dioxide away from cells
Normal – men =14-18 gm, women = 12-16 gm
Summer 2005 E.7
Function of Hemoglobin
Red cells travel through the lungs where
O2 is carried to tissues and released
CO2 picked up and carried back to lungs for
exchange
Arterial blood – lots of oxygen = bright red
Venous blood – lots of CO2 = dark crimson
What is carbon monoxide
poisoning?
ERYTHROPOIESIS
 Manufacture of red blood cells
 Occurs in bone marrow
Red cells live 120 days
Old cells broken down by the spleen and liver
HEMOLYSIS – rupture or bursting of
erythrocyte, can be from a blood transfusion or
disease.
Summer 2005 E.8
White Blood Cells – LEUKOCYTES
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Larger than erythrocytes
5 types
Normal leukocyte count = 3,200 – 9,800
Types of White Cells
 Neutrophils
 Eosinophils
 Basophils
 Lymphocytes
 Monocytes
PHAGOCYTOSIS – process when white cells
surround, engulf, and digest harmful bacteria.
Summer 2005 E.9
Basophils produce HEPARIN – an anticoagulant
DIAPEDESIS – when white cells move through
capillary wall into neighboring tissue.
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Body’s reaction to chemical or physical
trauma
PATHOGENIC – disease producing
microorganisms can cause inflammation
Symptoms – redness, local heat, swelling
and pain
Why? Bacterial toxins, increased blood flow,
collection of plasma in tissues (edema)
HISTAMINE increases the blood flow to the
injured area
PUS produced – a combination of dead
tissue, dead and living bacteria, dead
leukocytes and plasma
ABSCESS – pus-filled cavity below the
epidermis
PYREXIA – increase in body temperature by
the hypothalamus – in response to
pathogenic invasion
Summer 2005 E.10
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LEUKOCYTOSIS – increase in the number
of white cells in response to infection
LEUKOPENIA – decrease in number of
white cells due to chemotherapy or radiation
THROMBOCYTES (Platelets)
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Smallest of solid components of blood
Synthesized in red marrow
Not cells – fragments of megakaryocytes
Necessary for the initiation of the blood
clotting process
COAGULATION
Cut or injury  platelets and injured tissue
release THROMBOPLASTIN  act on
PROTHROMBIN in plasma  + Calcium ions
converts to THROMBIN  the thrombin acts as
an enzyme and changes FIBRINOGEN 
FIBRIN creating a mesh that traps red blood
cells, platelets and plasma creating a blood clot.
ANTICOAGULANTS – prevent blood clotting
HEPARIN = antiprothrombin
PROTHROMBIN – dependent on Vitamin K
Summer 2005 E.11
BLOOD TYPES

Four major types of blood- A, B, AB and O

Inherited from parents

Determined by presence or absence of an
ANTIGEN on the surface of the red blood
cell
ANTIBODY – a protein in the plasma that will
inactivate a foreign substance that enters the
body.
Someone with type A blood has b antibodies
Someone with type B blood has a antibodies
Someone with type AB blood has no antibodies
Someone with type O blood has a and b
antibodies
Summer 2005 E.12
UNIVERSAL DONOR – O
UNIVERSAL RECIPIENT – AB
Red cells also may contain Rh factor

If you have it, you’re Rh +

If you don’t, you’re Rh –
DISORDERS OF THE BLOOD
ANEMIA
 Deficiency in number or % of red cells
IRON-DEFICIENCY ANEMIA
 Usually in women, children and adolescents
 Deficiency of iron in the diet causing
insufficient hemoglobin synthesis
 Treat with iron supplements and green, leafy
vegetables
APLASTIC ANEMIA
 Bone marrow does not produce enough red
and white blood cells
 Caused by drugs or radiation therapy
SICKLE CELL ANEMIA
 Chronic blood disease inherited from both
parents
Summer 2005 E.13
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Causes the red cells to form in abnormal
sickle shape
Sickle cells break easily and carry less
oxygen
Occurs primarily in blacks
Treatment – blood transfusions
POLYCYTHEMIA
 Too many red blood cells are formed
 May be a temporary condition that occurs at
high altitude
EMBOLISM
 Air, blood clot, cancer cells, fat, etc. that is
carried by the bloodstream until it reaches
an artery too small for passage
 Also known as a “moving blood clot”
THROMBOSIS
 The formation of a blood clot in a blood
vessel
 The blood clot is a THROMBUS
HEMATOMA
 Localized clotted mass of blood found in an
organ, tissue or space.
Summer 2005 E.14

Caused by an injury that can cause a blood
vessel to rupture
HEMOPHILIA
 Hereditary
 Missing clotting factor
 Blood clots slow or abnormally
 Sex-linked – transmitted genetically from
mothers to sons
 Treat with missing clotting factor, avoid
trauma
THROMBOCYTOPENIA
 Not enough platelets
 Blood will not clot properly
LEUKEMIA
 Malignant condition
 Overproduction of immature white blood
cells
 Hinders synthesis of red cells
Summer 2005 E.15