1. Blood
Its “Bloody” Awesome!

2. Introduction to Blood
Blood is the fluid component to the cardiovascular system
It is a connective tissue because it contains a ground substance, specialized cells and extracellular proteins
It circulates around the body to provide nutrients and transport wastes

3. Introduction to Blood Blood has several specific jobs
Transporting dissolved gasses
Regulating pH and ion concentrations
Carrying nutrients
Restricting fluid loss at injury sites
Defense of the body
Stabilizing body temperature

4. Introduction to Blood
There are between 4 – 6 liters of blood in your body
Females are normally between 4 and 5
Males are normally between 5 and 6
However body size does play a large role in the amount of blood needed

5. Introduction to Blood Blood has two different main components
Plasma is the fluid matrix of blood (46%-63%)
It contains proteins, solutes and water
Formed elements are blood cells and cell fragments that suspended in plasma (37%-54%)

6. Introduction to Blood
You may be wondering why there was such a large variation of percentages for plasma and formed elements
This is because the percentage of whole blood volume that is formed elements (the hematocrit) is different for each person
Gender, diet, age, hydration levels and pregnancy all play with the numbers

7. Plasma Plasma is made up of three major divisions
Plasma proteins (~7%) are mostly released by the liver
These proteins are generally large and globular in nature
They do not normally cross capillary walls
They can bind to molecules, clot blood and help regulate osmotic pressure

8. Plasma Plasma contains a large number of dissolved particles
2. Solutes (~1%) make up a small amount of blood but have a large impact
These solutes can be used in ATP production, help cellular activities and be the waste products of cellular activities

9. Plasma 3. Water makes up a large volume of plasma (~92%)
While water may not seem to be a large part of blood, it is important in several ways
It regulates the viscosity of the blood, allows passive transport and supplies H2O for various cell processes

10. Formed Elements Formed elements also have three different parts
Platelets account for a small percentage of formed elements (<.1%) but play a large role
These play a huge role in the clotting of blood

11. Formed Elements Formed elements are made mostly of red blood cells
2. Erythrocytes (RBCs) are the cells that are specialized for the transport of oxygen in the blood
They account for 99.9% of the formed elements within the blood
They contain a molecule called hemoglobin that binds O2 and CO2

12. Formed Elements
The other small fractions of formed elements are white blood cells
3. Leukocytes (WBCs) make up a small total of formed elements (<.1%) but are essential in the body’s defense
There are five major categories of leukocytes

13. Video
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14. Hemoglobin
Hemoglobin is a protein that makes up 95% of a RBCs proteins
It is responsible for carrying oxygen and carbon dioxide within the RBC
Each RBC contains about 280 million molecules of hemoglobin

15. Hemoglobin
Hemoglobin oxygen concentrations are directly proportional to the level of oxygen within the plasma
When plasma oxygen levels are low, hemoglobin will release oxygen
In the spots where oxygen used to be, CO2 is taken up
This happens near oxygen needy cells

16. Hemoglobin
When oxygen levels in the plasma are high, hemoglobin will release CO2 and take up O2
This happens most commonly in the lungs when oxygen rich air is directly transported into the blood stream

17. Hemoglobin The level of hemoglobin within the blood is important
Without proper levels of hemoglobin, the body cannot get enough O2 to the cells that need it most
Low hemoglobin levels are called anemia and can result in weakness, lethargy and confusion
Normal hemoglobin levels are g/dL in males and g/dL in females
This is what you get tested when you give blood

18. How It’s Made We previously learned that RBCs were made by red marrow
However, the story is a bit more detailed than that
The formation, functionality and removal of RBCs is a system that requires multiple steps and organ systems

19. How It’s Made RBCs undergo severe stress
A round trip circulation from the heart and back is generally under a minute
This creates scenarios where they are damaged over time
New RBCs are needed to replace ones that have been damaged
RBCs are replaced ~120 days into their circulation
They can travel 700 miles in this short span

20. How It’s Made
When the cell membrane is damaged or other physical damage happens to the RBC, phagocytes attach to it
These large molecules will engulf the RBC and recycle the important components
The iron is released so it can be reincorporated into the marrow

21. How It’s Made
The remainder of the hemoglobin molecule eventually gets turned into bilirubin
Bilirubin is an orange and yellow pigment that is an important component in bile
Bile is formed in the liver and is important in the digestion of fats

22. How It’s Made
If there are any problems absorbing the bilirubin or if there is a malfunction in the bile ducts, jaundice is seen
Jaundice is a typical indicator of liver problems and is easily seen when yellow coloring is seen in the skin and eyes
It can be an indicator that severe problems are happening
It can also happen in newborns that are not efficient at recycling RBCs

23. Video
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