Critical Thinking Questions
CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS
- 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.
- Myelofibrosis is a disorder in which inflammation and scar tissue formation in the bone marrow impair hemopoiesis. One sign is an enlarged spleen. Why?
- Would you expect a patient with a form of cancer called acute myelogenous leukemia to experience impaired production of erythrocytes, or impaired production of lymphocytes? Explain your choice.
- A young person has been experiencing unusually heavy menstrual bleeding for several years. They follow a strict vegan diet (no animal foods). They are 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 their blood. Explain the connection.
- One of the more common adverse effects of cancer chemotherapy is the destruction of leukocytes. Before his next scheduled chemotherapy treatment, a patient undergoes a blood test called an absolute neutrophil count (ANC), which reveals that his neutrophil count is 1900 cells per microliter. Would his healthcare team be likely to proceed with his chemotherapy treatment? Why?
- A patient was admitted to the burn unit the previous evening suffering from a severe burn involving their left upper extremity and shoulder. A blood test reveals that they are experiencing leukocytosis. Why is this an expected finding?
- A lab technician collects a blood sample in a glass tube. After about an hour, she harvests serum to continue her blood analysis. Explain what has happened during the hour that the sample was in the glass tube.
- 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 their 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?
