1. Blood

2. Blood
• Essential life supportive fluid
• Transported in closed system throughout
body through blood vessels

3. Physical Characteristics
• Viscous
• pH 7.35 – 7.45
• Temperature: 38 degrees C; 100.4 degrees F
• 7% - 8% of total body weight
• Males: 5 – 6 liters
• Females: 4 – 5 liters

4. Functions of Blood
• Transportation
• Regulation
• Protection

5. Formed Elements
• Erythrocytes: (RBCs)
• Leukocytes (WBCs)
• Platelets

6. General Characteristics of
Formed Elements
• Living blood cells
• 2 out of 3 are NOT true cells
• Most are short lived
• Most do not divide
• Hematopoiesis occurs in liver, spleen,
thymus, & bone marrow

7. Plasma
• Liquid portion: 90-92% water with fibrous
proteins (fibrin)
• Straw colored, sticky fluid

8. Plasma
• Proteins
• Non-protein nitrogenous substances
• Nutrients
• Electrolytes
• Respiratory gases

9. Functions of Plasma
• Suspends blood cells & transports blood
cells
• Carries metabolic wastes & nutrients
• Circulates hormones and maintains water
content and body temperature
• Maintains acid-base balance of blood

10. Erythrocytes
• Shape: biconcave disc
• Spectrin (fibrous protein)  flexibility to
change shape
• Mature  anucleate
• 4 – 6 million per cubic millimeter
• Lifespan: 100 – 120 days
• 97% is hemoglobin
• Erythropoiesis: 2.4 million per second

11. Leukocytes (WBC)
Surveillance, Fighters, Protectors

12. 5 Types of WBCs
• Neutrophils: granulocyte
• Lymphocyte: agranulocyte
• Monocyte: agranulocyte
• Eosinophil: granulocyte
• Basophil: granulocyte

13. Neutrophils
• Nuclei: 3-6 lobes; polymorphonuclear
leukocytes (polys) or segmented neutrophils
(segs)
• Increase in %  bacterial or some fungal
infections
• Destroy bacteria by phagocytosis
• Life span: 0.5 – 9 days

14. Lymphocytes
• Nucleus: large, dark purple spherical
• Increase in %  possible viral infection
• T & B cells
• Produce antibodies
• T cells act directly against virus infected
cells & tumor cells
• B cells  plasma cells  antibodies (Ig’s)
• Lifespan: a few days to decades

15. Monocytes
• Nucleus: dark purple kidney or U-shaped
with gray blue cytoplasm
• In tissues  become macrophages
• Increase in %  possible chronic infections
i.e. TB & certain viruses & intracellular
parasites
• Activate lymphocytic immune response
• Lifespan: several months

16. Eosinophil
• Nucleus: 2 lobes, large red granules
• 1 – 4% of all WBCs
• Participate in allergic reactions
• Increase in %  possible parasitic infection
(i.e. flatworms – tapeworms, flukes;
roundworms – pinworms, hookworms) or
allergic response to antigen-antibody
complex
• Lifespan: 0.5 – 9 days

17. Basophils
• Large coarse purple granules with histamine
(inflammatory chemical that acts as
vasodilator & attracts other WBCs to the
inflamed site)
• Mast cells = similar
• Release heparin & histamine
• Lifespan: 0.5 – 9 days

19. Platelets

20. Platelets
• Thrombocytes
• Involved in blood clotting
• Small cytoplasmic fragments from
megakaryocyte
• 250,000 – 400,000 per microliter
• Lifespan: live only 10 days
• Aspirin inactivates the platelets

21. Blood Groups/Types

22. Blood Group Terms
• Antigens: chemical structures imparting
specific properties to the surface of the RBC
• Antibodies: protein substance developed in
response to foreign body substances

23. Blood Group Systems
• Detected on the basis of specific reaction with
corresponding antibody (either agglutination,
lysis, or hemolysis) as a result of the presence or
absence of the blood protein antigens on the RBC
surface
• Inherited according to Mendelian laws
• Fully formed either at birth or in early postnatal
life & persist throughout life

24. ABO System
• Discovered by Landsteiner in 1900
• Prior to discovery, blood transfusions were
hit or miss
• Type A, Type B, Type AB, & Type O

25. Type A
• 41% of population
• Has A antigens on the RBC surface
• Has anti-B antibodies in the plasma
• Genotypes AA & AO = Phenotype A

26. Type B
• 10% of population
• Has B antigens on the RBC surface
• Has anti-A antibodies in the plasma
• Genotype BB & BO = Phenotype B

27. Type AB
• 4 % of population
• Has A & B antigens on the RBC surface
• Has NO antibodies in the plasma
• Universal Recipient: can receive Type A,
Type B, Type AB, or Type O blood  NO
antibodies in plasma to react with antigens
• Genotypes: AB = Phenotype AB

28. Type O
• 45% of population
• Has NO antigens on RBC surface
• Has anti-A & anti-B antibodies in the
plasma
• Universal Donor: can be given to any blood
type  no antigens on the RBCs
• Genotype OO = Phenotype O

29. Rh System
• Discovered by Landsteiner & Wiener in
1937
• Discovered in the Rhesus monkey
• Rh is an antigen on the RBC surface

30. Rh System
• Rh + has the antigens on the RBC (85% of
population)
• Rh – does NOT have the Rh antigens
• Rh + can accept Rh + or Rh – blood
• Rh – can accept ONLY Rh - blood

31. Rh Incompatibility
• When Rh– person receives Rh+ blood in a
transfusion  person develops antibodies against
the Rh+ factor
• Clinical problem if second transfusion of Rh+
blood given  Rh antibodies will clump with the
Rh antigens
• S & S of transfusion reaction: chills, fever, rash,
itching, SOB, nausea, nephralgia, hematuria,
shock & death

32. Erythroblastosis fetalis
• Rh– mother and Rh+ father  Rh+ child 1st
pregnancy
• Mother develops antibodies to baby’s Rh+
antigens
• 2nd pregnancy with Rh+ child  mother’s anti-Rh
antibodies attack unborn child’s RBCs
• Prevention: shot of Rhogam shortly after birth of
first Rh+ baby to block development of antibodies

33. Erythroblastosis fetalis
• Antigen-antibody reaction due to mixing of
Rh+ blood of fetus with Rh- blood of
mother during 2nd Rh+ pregnancy
• Prevented with shot of Rhogam at birth of
1st Rh+ baby