Blood

❖ It is the red fluid that is transported

throughout the body via the circulatory
system.
❖ Arterial blood – carries oxygen and
nutrients to the tissues
❖ Venous blood – carries carbon dioxide and
metabolic by-products to the lungs and
kidneys for removal from the body
 Blood composition
❖ Blood is a mixture of fluid and cellular
components; 5x thicker than water and
slightly alkaline (pH 7.4)

❖ Plasma – the fluid portion of the blood in

vivo
❖ Formed elements – these are the cells, cell
remnants, and cell fragments found in the
human blood.
 Plasma
❖ Normal plasma is a clear, pale-yellow fluid
that is nearly 90% water and 10% solutes.
✓ Gases (O2, CO2, N)
✓ Minerals (Na, K, Ca, & Mg)
✓ Nutrients, which supply energy
(carbohydrates and lipids)
✓ Proteins (albumin, antibodies, fibrinogen)
✓ Waste products of metabolism (BUN,
creatinine, and uric acid)
✓ others: vitamins, hormones, and drugs
 Formed elements
❖ Erythrocytes – red blood cells; carry O2 and
CO2 and are produced in the bone marrow

❖ Leukocytes – white blood cells; formed in

the marrow and the lymphatic tissue;
neutralize pathogens.

❖ Thrombocytes – platelets; pieces of very

large cells in the bone marrow that help form
blood clots
 Formed elements
Erythrocytes (Red Blood Cells)
✓ most numerous cells in the blood
✓ a nuclear, biconcave disks approximately
7-8 microns in diameter
✓ function: carry oxygen from the lungs to
the cells; also carry carbon dioxide from
the cells back to the lungs (intravascular)
 Formed elements
Erythrocytes (Red Blood Cells)
✓main component is hemoglobin
✓ produced in the bone marrow
✓ have a lifespan of 120 days
 Formed elements
Leukocytes (White Blood Cells)
✓ produced in the bone marrow and lymphatic tissue
✓ function: neutralize or destroy pathogens (extravascular)
Phagocytosis
Production of antibodies that destroy pathogens
✓ Two types:
Granulocytes – contains visible granules
Agranulocytes – lack granules / have extremely fine granules not
easily seen.
 Formed elements
Granulocytes
✓ Neutrophils (40% to 60%)
✓ normally the most numerous type of WBCs in
adults
✓ provide protection against infection through
phagocytosis
✓ called segmented or polymorphonuclear cells
(PMNs)
✓ increases in bacterial infection
 Formed elements
Granulocytes
✓ Eosinophils (1% to 3%)
✓ granules stain red-orange
✓ nucleus has two lobes
✓ Detoxify foreign proteins and increase in
allergies, skin infections, and parasitic
infections
 Formed elements
Granulocytes
✓ Basophils (<1%)
✓ least common leukocyte
✓ contains large granules that stain purple
black
✓ release histamine in the inflammation
process and heparin to prevent abnormal
blood clotting
 Formed elements
Agranulocytes
✓ Lymphocytes 20% to 40%)
✓ second most numerous
✓ provide the body with immune
capability by means of B and T cells
✓ it has a large round purple nucleus
with a rim of sky blue cytoplasm
✓ increases in viral infection
 Formed elements
Agranulocytes
✓ Monocytes (3% to 8%)
✓ act as powerful phagocytes to digest
foreign material
✓ cytoplasm has fine blue-gray appearance
and a large, irregular nucleus
✓ increases in intracellular infections and
tuberculosis
 Formed elements
Thrombocytes (Platelets)
✓ smallest of the formed elements
✓ fragments of cells that break off from a
large cell called megakaryocyte
✓ these are essential to coagulation and
are the first cell on the scene when an
injury occurs
✓ life span: 10 days
 Blood type
❖ The human blood type is inherited and is
determined by the absence or presence of certain
proteins (antigens) on the RBCs.

❖ The blood contains or can develop antibodies

directed at the opposite blood type.

❖ Blood type match is important especially during

blood transfusion because the wrong type could
agglutinate the red blood cells.
 ABO blood group system
❖ This is a system of classifying human blood by
the presence of antigens A and B and based on
the antigenic components found on the surface
of the red blood cells.

❖ A person’s blood could be classified as A, B, O

(universal donor), or AB (universal recipient)
 Rh blood group system

❖ This system of classification is of primary importance in obstetrics because

of the hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn

❖ This is based upon the presence or absence of an RBC antigen called the D
antigen or the Rh factor

❖ Rh positive (Rh+) – individuals with D antigens on their RBCs

❖ Rh negative (Rh-) – individuals without D antigens on their RBCs

 Blood disorders
❖ Anemia – an abnormal reduction in the number of RBCs in the circulating
blood
❖ Leukemia – disorder involving the multiplication of immature forms of WBCs
in the blood
❖ Leukocytosis – an abnormal increase in WBCs
❖ Leukopenia – an abnormal decrease in WBCs
❖ Polycythemia – an abnormal increase in RBCs
❖ Thrombocytosis – increased number of platelets
❖ Thrombocytopenia – decreased number of platelets
 Diagnostic tests
❖ ABO and Rh typing ❖ Hematocrit
❖ Bone marrow examination ❖ Hemoglobin
❖ Complete Blood Count (CBC) ❖ Hemogram

❖ Cross-matching ❖ Indices (MCH, MCHC, MCV)

❖ Differential (Diff) count ❖Iron (Fe)

❖ Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate ❖Total Iron-binding capacity (TIBC)

(ESR) ❖ Ferritin
❖ Reticulocyte count