HEMATOLOGY SYSTEM

BLOOD:
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND VOLUME:
- Sticky opaque fluid with a characteristic metallic taste
- Color of blood: scarlet(oxygen-rich); dull red (oxygen-poor)
- Slightly alkaline: pH between 7.35-7.45
- Temperature: 380C (always slightly higher than body temperature)
Hematopoiesis process of formation and development of blood cells
Childhood- hematopoiesis occurs in the marrow sites of the flat bones ( skull, sternum, clavicle,
ribs, vertebrae, pelvis)
After puberty- hematopoiesis is localized within flat bones (sternum, ileum, ribs, vertebrae), and
sometimes in the proximal ends of the femur and humerus)
FUNCTIONS OF THE BLOOD:
1. Maintains normal cellular function by constant exchange of nutrients and cellular waste
a. Transports oxygen to the lungs and carbon dioxide from the tisuue to the lungs
b. Transports nutrients from intestine to body cells
c. Transports waste products to the kidney for excretion
2. Distributes heat produced in the muscles, thus aiding in regulation of normal body temperature
3. Contains buffers to assist in maintenance of normal acid-base balance
4. Protects the body against invading organisms
COMPONENTS:
PLASMA
CHARACTERISTICS:
1. Plasma is clear, straw-colored, and does not contain cellular elements.
2. Liquid portion of the circulating volume; consists of 91-92% H2O.
3. Protein- 6-8% of the plasma
*plasma CHONs are the most abundant solute in plasma
a. ALBUMIN most abundant protein
- maintains normal colloid osmotic pressure of the plasma
- maintains the fluid balance within the vascular space
b. GLOBULINS
1. GAMMAGLOBULINS (IMMUNOGLOBULINS)- consist primarily of antibodies produced by
the plasma cells (IgM, IgG, IgA, IgO, IgE)
2. ALPHA AND BETA GLOBULINS
- are transport globulins
-Essential factors in the clotting mechanism
- produced primarily in the liver
c. FIBRINOGEN
- necessary element in normal clot formation
- Produced in the liver
d. PROTHROMBIN
- necessary element for normal coagulation; produced in the liver
-Normal production is dependent on availability of adequate Vit. K
FORMED ELEMENTS:
A. ERYTHROCYTES (RED BLOOD CELLS)
Erythropoiesis- production of RBC
1. Formed in the bone marrow (reticuloendothelial system)
2. In early childhood all bones contain red marrow; as child grows older red marrow is replaced
with fatty yellow marrow

3. In adult, only specific bones contain red marrow (humerous, proximal end of the femur, iliac
crest, skull)
4. In situations causing low oxygen tension, the kidney initiates the formation of erythropoietin,
which in turn stimulates the erythrocyte production
5. Vit. B12 and Folic Acid: necessary for the production of normal erythrocytes
6. The fraction of the blood occupied by the erythrocytes is called HEMATOCRIT.
7. Mature RBC:
- Has no nucleus (anucleate)
- Only 7.5 mm in diameter
- Has a depression on the flat surface (thinner center, thicker edges)
- 5.5 M/ mm3
8. Functions:
- Primary function: transporation of oxygen and CO2
a. Hemoglobin primary component of the red cell
Male: 100 ml of blood contains 14-16 grams
Female: 12-14 grams
Contains easily with Oxygen to form oxyhemoglobin, thus enabling the erythrocyte to
transport oxygen to the cellular level
IRON: major component of haemoglobin and is necessary for normal oxygen
transport
9. LIFESPAN OF AN ERYTHROCYTE: approx. 120 days or 4 months
B. LEUKOCYTES (WHITE BLOOD CELLS)
- Far less numerous than red blood cells
- Crucial to body defense against disease.
- 4,000-11,000 WBC/mm3
- Are the only complete cells in blood: they contain nuclei and the usual organelles
- Are able to slip into and out of the blood vessels DIAPEDESIS
- LEUKOCYTOSIS- WBC above 11,000 cells/ mm3
- LEUKOPENIA abnormally low WBC count
- 2 MAJOR GROUPS:
1. GRANULOCYTES- granule-containing WBCs
o They have lobed nuclei, which typically consist of several rounded nuclear areas
connected by thin strands of nuclear material
o NEUTROPHILS
-most numerous of the WBCs. They have a multilobed nucleus and very fine
granules that respond to both acidic and basic stains
-are avid phagocytes at sites of acute infection, and are particularly partial to bacteria
and fungi
o EOSINOPHILS
-have a blue-red nucleus that resembles an old-fashioned telephone receiver
-their number increases rapidly during allergies and infections by parasitic worms
(flatworms, tapeworms, etc.) ingested in food (raw fish) or entering via the skin
o BASOPHILS
-the rarest of the WBCs, contain large histamine-containing granules that satin dark
blue
2. AGRANULOCYTES lack visible cytoplasmic granules
-their nuclei are closer to the norm- that is, they are spherical, oval, or kidney shaped
o LYMPHOCYTES
-large dark purple nucleus that occupies most of the cell volume

o MONOCYTES
-largest of the WBCs. Except for their more abundant cytoplasm and distinctive U- or
kidney- shaped nucleus, they resemble large lymphocytes
C. THROMBOCYTES (PLATELETS)
1. Smallest of the formed cells in the circulating volume
2. FUNCTION: primarily involved with homeostasis
3. Fragments of bizarre multinucleate cells called megakaryocytes
4. The platelets appear as darkly staining, irregularly shaped bodies scattered among the other
blood cells.
5. Normal platelet count: 300,000/mm3
BLOOD CLASSIFICATION:
1. MAJOR BLOOD GROUPS: A, B, AB, and O
Blood Type
Agglutinogen (Antigen)
A
A
B
B
AB
A and B (universal recipient)
O
Neither A or B (universal donor)
Blood Type (Recipient)
A
B
AB
O

Preferred Blood Type of Donor

A
B
AB
O
s

Agglutinin (Antibody)
Anti B
Anti A
Neither anti A or anti B
Both anti A or anti B
Permissible in Emergency
A, O
B, O
AB, A, B, O
O