ANP 1105 Lecture : blood.doc

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Anatomy and Physiology
• Course: ANP 1105
• Professor: Jacqueline Carnegie

Document Summary

Blood is the only fluid tissue in the body. Appears as a thick, homogenous liquid but has both cellular and liquid components. Blood is a specialized type of connective tissue where living blood cells, formed elements (such as rbcs, leukocytes / wbcs, platelets etc. ), are suspended in a nonliving fluid matrix called plasma. Dissolved fibrous proteins become visible as fibrin strands during blood clotting. In a centrifuge, the heavier formed elements are packed down by centrifugal force and the less dense plasma remains at the top. Most of the mass at the bottom is made up of erythrocytes (red blood cells) that transport oxygen. A thin, white layer is present at the erythrocyte-plasma junction and is called the buffy coat. Leukemia patients would have a large buffy coat. Erythrocytes typically make up about 45% of the total volume of blood sample and this blood fraction is known as the hematocrit.