Hematology

LEUKEMIA “You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have”stated Cayla Mills.We have a situation in our hands! An issue that needs to get solved. A common illness that searches for a cure. Leukemia a disease that affects humans and animals of all ages.A disease the we have yet to find a cure for,but have treatments for it. Now this…

Rhesus disease (Rh disease) is a condition that occurs between a mother and her fetus when their blood types are incompatible. This condiiont occurs when an Rh-negative woman conceives a baby with an Rh-positive father and the baby inherits the Rh-positive blood type from the father. Rh-positive means that the protein (D antigen) can be found on the surface of red blood cells (RBCs). If the D antigen is not present, then an individual is considered to be Rh-negative If the mother is Rh-negative…

Superior Vena Cava Syndrome The Superior Vena Cava (SVC) is the main blood vessel that transports de-oxygenated blood from the upper body to the heart. The SVC is a short vein located in the anterior right Superior Mediastinum, which is the area found in the mid-line of the Thorax (Drake et al. 2010). The vein is surrounded by many structures involved in the respiratory and circulatory system including the right Bronchus and the Mediastinal lymph nodes (Martini & Ivonne 2004). Figure 1 is a…

VOLUMETRIC EVALUATION OF THE PARANASAL SINUSES WITH THE CAVALIERI METHOD SUMMARY PURPOSE Our aim was to estimate the volumes of paranasal sinuses with Cavalieri principle. MATERIAL AND METHODS The volumes of paranasal sinuses were estimated using the Cavalieri principle with coronal CT scans of 125 (68 male and 57 female) cases and analyzed by gender and age. The right-left comparison was also researched. RESULTS The mean volumes (± S.D.) of unilateral sinuses were 6.0 ± 4.3, 19.1 ± 6.1,…

Blood Transfusions – Principles Questions 1. Different components of WBC’s? How much of blood is plasma? 2. Function of RBC antigens? 3. Which blood type is universal recipient? Universal donor 4. Important facts about Rh factors? 5. Most fatal hemolytic reactions result from? 6. What are the procedures for donor/recipient blood? 7. How long does a type and screen take? What does it determine? 8. Type and crossmatch take how long? What three phases are performed? 9. Type A…

Immune thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP), is a blood disorder that is characterized by the destruction of the blood platelets caused by the presence of antiplatelet antibodies. This bleeding disorder is not associated with a systemic disease. It’s typically chronic in adults, but self-limited in children. The trouble with this there is not defining diagnostic that presents this disease clearly, instead the diagnosis is presented through the exclusion of other variables. Typically, patients have…

DIAGNOSIS OF ANAEMIA: DETERMINATION OF HAEMOGLOBIN CONCENTRATION Introduction Red blood cells contain the protein molecule haemoglobin (Hb); it is made up of four polypeptide chains and contains iron. Its function is to carry oxygen from the lungs to the bodies tissue and to carry carbon dioxide from tissue back to the lungs. Anaemia can be caused when there is a lack of iron in the body which leads to a reduction in the number of red blood cells. Iron is used to carry oxygen in the blood so If…

CrossMatch is performed before the administration of blood or blood products. Cross Matching is used to make sure that the specific donor blood that will be used during transfusion does not react with the patient's blood.The purpose of cross matching is to discover the existence of antibodies in the recipient against the red blood cells of the donor. The antibodies attach themselves to the red blood cells of the person donating, after transfusion. When doing a cross match there can be a few…

Contrast materials, otherwise known as contrast agents or contrast media, are used to get better pictures of the internal part of the body produced by x-rays, CT, MRI, and ultrasound. Frequently, contrast materials permit the radiologist to differentiate normal from abnormal disorders/illnesses. Contrast agents are not tints that forever discolor internal organs. They are substances that for a short period of time change the way x-rays or other imaging devices act together with the body. When…

What is Hemolytic Anemia? Hemolytic anemia is a condition in which an individual does not have enough healthy red blood cells in the body. Red blood cells usually last approximately 120 days in the body. In hemolytic anemia, red blood cells in the blood are destroyed earlier than expected. The spleen traps and destroys healthy red blood cells. Hemolytic anemia occurs when the bone marrow is unable to replace the red blood cells that are destroyed. It can also come from red…