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16.0: Introduction

Last updated

Feb 13, 2025
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- 16: Hematopoietic Disorders and Regulation
- 16.1: Anemias

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A healthcare worker, wearing blue gloves, extracts a blood sample from a person's arm using a syringe and test tube in a medical setting.

Figure 16.1 Blood collection is a skill needed to provide competent nursing care. Blood samples are used for critical diagnosis of a patient’s condition. Components of a blood sample include plasma, erythrocytes, leukocytes, and platelets. (credit: Jessica Condit/Little Rock Air Force Base, Public Domain)

The root hemato- comes from Greek and Latin words for blood. So, hematological disorders are diseases involving blood: specifically, the various structures and systems that produce blood, constitute it, and move it through the body. Blood makes up approximately 8 percent of the body by weight and consists of four main components (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2022):

Red blood cells (RBCs; erythrocytes) transport oxygen.
White blood cells (WBCs; leukocytes) fight infections.
Platelets form clots to stop bleeding.
Plasma carries red and white blood cells, platelets, and everything else—including a wide variety of nutrients, hormones, and waste products—through the circulatory system.

Understanding hematology is important for nursing professionals because blood components affect every body system and play crucial roles in maintaining the body’s overall health. Each of the molecules found in a blood sample—including water; oxygen; proteins, such as albumin, globulin, fibrinogen, and prothrombin; vitamins; sugars; fats; hormones; and waste products—can disrupt the body’s homeostasis when their levels are either elevated or deficient. This chapter investigates the pathophysiology of the main disorders caused by blood imbalances, as well as appropriate treatments and approaches to nursing care.

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