A patient’s hematocrit is 42 percent. Approximately what percentage of the patient’s blood is plasma?
Why would it be incorrect to refer to the formed elements as cells?
True or false: The buffy coat is the portion of a blood sample that is made up of its proteins.
A young woman has been experiencing unusually heavy menstrual bleeding for several years. She follows a strict vegan diet (no animal foods). She is at risk for what disorder, and why?
A patient has thalassemia, a genetic disorder characterized by abnormal synthesis of globin proteins and excessive destruction of erythrocytes. This patient is jaundiced and is found to have an excessive level of bilirubin in his blood. Explain the connection.
Explain why administration of a thrombolytic agent is a first intervention for someone who has suffered a thrombotic stroke.
Following a motor vehicle accident, a patient is rushed to the emergency department with multiple traumatic injuries, causing severe bleeding. The patient’s condition is critical, and there is no time for determining his blood type. What type of blood is transfused, and why?
In preparation for a scheduled surgery, a patient visits the hospital lab for a blood draw. The technician collects a blood sample and performs a test to determine its type. She places a sample of the patient’s blood in two wells. To the first well she adds anti-A antibody. To the second she adds anti-B antibody. Both samples visibly agglutinate. Has the technician made an error, or is this a normal response? If normal, what blood type does this indicate?