Blood-notes good

• Cardiovascular system components


  • Heart - acts as the "pump"
  • Arteries - carry blood away from the heart
  • Capillaries - points where material exchange occurs
  • Veins - carry blood back to the heart
  • Blood - the "transport" material in the system
• Physical characteristics of blood


  • Viscosity - 4.5 to 5.5 compared to water at 1.0
  • Temperature - 37 degrees Centigrade
  • Percent of body weight - 8%
  • Volume in males - 5-6 liters
  • Volume in females - 4-5 liters
• Functions of blood


  • Distributive function - Delivery of oxygen and nutrients to tissues, Transport of waste away from tissues, Transport of hormones
  • Protective function - Maintenance of body temperature, pH, osmotic pressure, Protection from infection, Prevention of blood loss
• Blood components


  • Cellular components (formed elements) - Red blood cells, White blood cells, Platelets
  • Liquid components (plasma) - Plasma proteins, Water, Ions and minerals, Carbohydrates, Lipids, Hormones and enzymes, Metabolites and waste products

  
• Plasma


  Liquid portion of blood
• Serum


  Plasma minus/without the clotting proteins
• Red blood cells (erythrocytes)


  • Nuclear-free biconcave discs with large surface area to volume ratio
  • Contain hemoglobin to transport oxygen and carbon dioxide
  • Anaerobic - do not utilize oxygen bound to hemoglobin
• Red blood cell production


  1. Fetal development - Yolk sac, spleen, liver

  2. Childhood, adolescence, adulthood - Red bone marrow in sternum, pelvis, ribs, vertebra, femur, long bones
• Yellow bone marrow


  Shaft/diaphysis of long bones, comprised of adipose, inactive under normal circumstances
• Average lifespan of an RBC is approximately 120 days
• Erythropoietin (EPO)


  Hormone produced in the kidneys that controls the rate of RBC production
• Stages of RBC development

  Hemocytoblast -> Proerythroblast -> Erythroblast -> Normoblast -> Reticulocyte -> Erythrocyte
• Approximately 2,000,000 erythrocytes are produced and destroyed each second
• Destruction of red blood cells


  1. Aged/damaged RBCs rupture and are destroyed in the liver and spleen

  2. Hemoglobin is broken down into heme and globin, which are recycled
• Red blood cell count

  • Normal range in males - 4.5 to 6 million/mm3
  • Normal range in females - 4 to 5.5 million/mm3
  • Normal range in children - 4.5 to 5 million/mm3
  • Hematocrit - Normal range in males 42-52%, in females 37-47%

  
• Red blood cell disorders


  • Hemorrhagic anemia - Blood loss
  • Hypochromic anemia - Lack of iron
  • Hemolytic anemia - Destruction of RBCs
  • Pernicious anemia - Lack of vitamin B12
  • Aplastic anemia - Damage/destruction of bone marrow
  • Sickle cell anemia - Abnormal hemoglobin structure
• Leukocytes (white blood cells)


  • Granulocytes - Neutrophils, Eosinophils, Basophils
  • Agranulocytes - Lymphocytes, Monocytes
• Functions of white blood cells


  • Neutrophils - Phagocytosis of bacteria, viruses, fungi
  • Eosinophils - Combat allergic reactions, phagocytize antibody-antigen complexes
  • Basophils - Intensify inflammation response
  • B lymphocytes - Produce antibodies
  • T lymphocytes - Directly attack virus-infected and tumor cells
  • Monocytes - Phagocytosis, digest damaged tissue
• Disorders of white blood cells


  • Leukocytosis - WBC count over 11,000/mm3
  • Leukocytopenia - WBC count below 5,000/mm3
  • Leukemia - Cancerous condition of WBCs, leads to infection, anemia, bleeding
• Blood platelets (thrombocytes)


  • Function to aid in blood clotting
  • Derived from megakaryocytes in bone marrow
  • Contain granules with chemicals to begin clotting process
  • Normal range 250,000 to 350,000/mm3

  
• Components of blood plasma


  • Plasma proteins - Albumins, Globulins, Fibrinogens
  • Nutrients and gases - Amino acids, Sugars, Lipids, Oxygen, Carbon dioxide, Nitrogen
  • Nonprotein nitrogenous substances - Urea, Uric acid, Creatinine

  
• Plasma proteins


  Help regulate the osmotic pressure of the blood
• Globulins


  Plasma proteins that function as antibodies and aid in the proper functioning of the immune system
• Fibrinogens


  Plasma proteins that are normally dissolved in plasma; when they become insoluble, they aid in clotting the blood

  
• Nutrients and gases in plasma


  • Amino acids (from proteins)
  • Sugars (from carbohydrates)
  • Lipids (in the form of cholesterol and triglycerides)
  • Dissolved oxygen
  • Dissolved carbon dioxide
  • Dissolved nitrogen (from our atmosphere)
• Nonprotein nitrogenous substances (NPNs)


  Molecules that contain nitrogen, but are not proteins
• Examples of NPNs


  • Urea and uric acid from metabolism of proteins and nucleic acids
  • Creatinine from muscle activity
• NPNs are usually found in stable amounts. An increase in their levels may indicate some kind of kidney disorder as the kidneys are responsible for filtering this waste product out in the urine.
• Plasma electrolytes


  • Na+
  • Cl-
  • K+
  • PO4 3-
  • Mg 2+
  • H+
• Plasma levels of electrolytes


  Should remain fairly stable
• Electrolytes


  Aid in maintaining the pH and osmotic pressure of the blood
• ABO blood group


  Specific combinations of antigens (agglutinogens) and antibodies (agglutinins)
• The body will not normally produce antibodies against its own antigens...because those antibodies would attack the body's own antigens.
• ABO blood group antibodies


  Thought to be formed when the infant begins to consume foods that have similar antigenic properties to the A and B antigens
• ABO blood types


  • A (A antigen, anti-B antibody)
  • B (B antigen, anti-A antibody)
  • AB (both A and B antigens, neither anti-A or anti-B)
  • O (neither A or B antigens, both anti-A and anti-B)
• Transfusion reactions


  Adverse transfusion reactions are avoided by preventing the mixing of RBCs containing a specific antigen (agglutinogen) with plasma that contains the antibody (agglutinin) that is against it

  
• Agglutination reaction


  RBCs "clump" or "agglutinate", plugging up small capillaries and causing the hemolysis of RBCs releasing hemoglobin into the blood stream which may damage the kidney
• To avoid this dangerous reaction, we always ask ourselves this important question: "WHAT WILL THE RECIPIENT'S antibodies (plasma) DO TO THE DONOR'S antigens (cells)?"

  
• Who can donate to whom (ABO)


  • A can donate to A, AB
  • B can donate to B, AB
  • AB can only donate to AB
  • O can donate to A, B, AB, O
• Who can receive from whom (ABO)


  • A can receive from A, O
  • B can receive from B, O
  • AB can receive from A, B, AB, O
  • O can only receive from O