Skip to ContentGo to accessibility pageKeyboard shortcuts menu
OpenStax Logo
Medical-Surgical Nursing

Introduction

Medical-Surgical NursingIntroduction
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)

Chapter Outline

16.1 Anemias
16.2 Hereditary Disorders
16.3 Polycythemia
16.4 Thrombocytopenia
16.5 Neutropenia
16.6 Thrombotic Disorder
16.7 Blood Products and Transfusion Principles

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.

PreviousNext
Citation/Attribution

This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's permission.

Want to cite, share, or modify this book? This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution License and you must attribute OpenStax.

Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:
    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/medical-surgical-nursing/pages/1-introduction
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a digital format, then you must include on every digital page view the following attribution:
    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/medical-surgical-nursing/pages/1-introduction
Citation information

© Sep 20, 2024 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License . The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.