Physio-Ex Blood Analysis: Computer Simulation
Physio-EX Blood Analysis: Computer Simulation
Introduction
In this lab five blood tests will be performed: hematocrit determination, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, hemoglobin determination, blood typing, and total cholesterol determination. A “hematocrit refers to the percentage of red blood cells (RBC’s) in a sample of whole blood. Since the function of red blood cells is the transport of oxygen to the cells of the body, the higher the hematocrit, the more red blood cells are available to carry oxygen.” In a normal, healthy male the value for males is 47% and in a normal, healthy female it is 42%. A person with a lower than normal hematocrit would indicate they are anemic, and a higher than normal hematocrit would indicate polycythemia. “Anemia is a condition in which insufficient oxygen is transported to the body’s cells. There are many possible causes for anemia, including inadequare numbers of red blood cells, decreased amount of the oxygen-carrying pigment hemoglobin, and abnormal hemoglobin. Polycythemia refers to a significant increase in red blood cells.” Some causes for this increase in red blood cells are tumors in bone marrow, vigorous athletic training, and living in a place that is higher in altitude. To determine a hematocrit value a whole blood sample is put into microcapillary tube and spun in a special microhematocrit centrifuge. By doing this the blood sample will separate the blood cells from the blood plasma and there will be a “buffy coat” of white blood cells between the layer of blood plasma and red blood cell layer. Then the hematocrit value can be determined “by measuring the height of the layer of red cells in millimeters and dividing that number by the height of the initial column of blood to obtain the percentage of red blood cells. In this experiment there will be six samples from six individuals, a healthy male who lives in Boston, a healthy female who lives in Boston, a healthy male who lives in Denver, a healthy female who lives
Introduction
In this lab five blood tests will be performed: hematocrit determination, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, hemoglobin determination, blood typing, and total cholesterol determination. A “hematocrit refers to the percentage of red blood cells (RBC’s) in a sample of whole blood. Since the function of red blood cells is the transport of oxygen to the cells of the body, the higher the hematocrit, the more red blood cells are available to carry oxygen.” In a normal, healthy male the value for males is 47% and in a normal, healthy female it is 42%. A person with a lower than normal hematocrit would indicate they are anemic, and a higher than normal hematocrit would indicate polycythemia. “Anemia is a condition in which insufficient oxygen is transported to the body’s cells. There are many possible causes for anemia, including inadequare numbers of red blood cells, decreased amount of the oxygen-carrying pigment hemoglobin, and abnormal hemoglobin. Polycythemia refers to a significant increase in red blood cells.” Some causes for this increase in red blood cells are tumors in bone marrow, vigorous athletic training, and living in a place that is higher in altitude. To determine a hematocrit value a whole blood sample is put into microcapillary tube and spun in a special microhematocrit centrifuge. By doing this the blood sample will separate the blood cells from the blood plasma and there will be a “buffy coat” of white blood cells between the layer of blood plasma and red blood cell layer. Then the hematocrit value can be determined “by measuring the height of the layer of red cells in millimeters and dividing that number by the height of the initial column of blood to obtain the percentage of red blood cells. In this experiment there will be six samples from six individuals, a healthy male who lives in Boston, a healthy female who lives in Boston, a healthy male who lives in Denver, a healthy female who lives