Lab Report Essay

Lab Report: Exercise 2: Blood Purpose: Explain why you did this lab and what if any safety precautions needed to be followed. This lab was done to learn about blood on a micro and macroscopic level. There are safety concerns when using bodily fluids. Gloves were needed and caution with the use of the lancet was important, which included keeping it sterile. Activity 1: Observing Your Own Blood Observations: Sketch and describe what you saw on the prepared slide of human blood: White blood cells are a light pinkish color and clearer in the center. The doghnut shape was not easy to see but can be made out. The centers are clearer because there is less mass there. The white blood cells were dark and looked very similar to me. Sketch and describe what you saw on the blood smear slide using your own blood: There were a lot less white blood cells on my slide of my own blood. The red blood cells also seems to be more grouped into certain sections. I’m curious if I cut my foot if that would increase the amount of white blood cells in circulatory rotation or would the increase in white blood cells only happen around the cut area of my foot. I think I may have to try this experiment next time a scrape something. Questions: A.What are the components of blood? The main components include three types of cells (leukocytes, erythrocytes and platelets) and plasma. B.List the five types of leukocytes and describe the function of each. Neutrophils comprise 60-70% of white blood cells. They are the first to respond to infection and move into tissues and phagocytize bacteria and foreign matter. They also secrete enzymes called lysozumes that destroy certain bacteria. Eosinophils comprise 2-4% of white blood cells. They enter tissues undergoing an allergic response. They reduce the inflammatory response by producing enzymes that destroy inflammatory chemicals, such as histamine. They also release toxic chemicals that attack certain work parasites. Basophils comprise .5-1% of white blood cells. They increase in number during allergic and inflammatory reactions. They release histamine to increase inflammation and heparin to inhibit blood clotting. Lymphocytes comprise 20-25% of white blood cells. They play an important role in immunity and produce antibodies. Monocytes comprise 3-8% of white blood cells. They leave the circulation and become macrophages and phagocytize bacteria, dead cells, cell fragments, and other debris. C.What did you learn making a blood smear slide? I learned that milking the incision site is not a good idea because it forces tissue fluid out as well as blood. This was not something I considered before. I also learned that you have to wait a while for the Wright’s stain to take hold of the cells. Had I not read closely I may have rushed this step and not got cells that I could see easily. I also learned that in order to get a better look at the cells one needs to look at a thinner area because the thicker areas overlap cells which makes it difficult to observe them. Activity 2: Blood Typing Observations: What is your blood and Rh type? Type O+ Questions: A.Describe how the ABO blood typing system works. In the ABO blood type, there are two main anitgens or agglutinogens, A and B. A type has the A antigen, B type B antigen, O none, and AB both the A and B antigen. O is a universal donor due to its lack of antigens and AB is a univeral reciepient due to the fact that it has both antigens. If the A antibodies find A antigens on red blood cells we say the person’s blood is type A. B.Why is it important for everyone to know their own blood type? In an emergency situation a person may not have time to have their blood tested. There may not even be a way to test there blood when a situation that requires a blood tansfussion occurs. In this situation the person trying to administer the transfusion needs to know what type of blood the recipient has because transfusing the wrong type of blood is dangerous and will be rejected by receivers body. If I was ship wrecked I would want to know who had what type of blood so that in an emergency situation blood could be transfused. That is assuming that equipment for such a procedure was available. I have a catheter from my nursing classes bag in my car at all times. If natural disaster strikes, I’m slightly prepared. C.Describe what would happen if type A blood were transfused into a person with type B blood. A transfusion reaction will occur, meaning that a reaction occurs when the antigens on the red blood cells of the donor blood react with the antibodies in the recipient’s plasma. This causes the red blood cells to clump together and plug up blood vessels. Then the cells are destroyed by the body (hemolysis), releasing hemoglobin from the red blood cells into the blood. Hemoglobin is then broken down into bilirubin, which can cause jaundice. D.What happens in the blood of an Rh-negative individual who is exposed to Rh-positive blood? The Rh negative person develops antibodies that attack Rh positive blood. This can be a serious problem for a pregnant mother with a Rh positive child. The disorder is called HDN. Activity 3: Review of Blood 1.Log onto the Hands-On Labs Website and click on exercise 2. 2.Click on the link â€Å"Get Body Smart†. 3.Click on the â€Å"Circulatory System†. 4.Review each of the following modules: Introduction to the blood, Red Blood Cells, White Blood Cells, and Coagulation. 5.Explain how the various elements found in blood work together to provide a unified function for the body. The main function of blood is to be a delivery system. It is like the highway of your body. Or actually more like the trucks of your body and the veins and arteries are the roads. The blood transports oxygen and nutrients to tissues. In order to do this many elements work together in the blood. The hemoglobin is responsible for oxygen transportation. Iron acts as a binding agent. White blood cells are the police of the road. They protect the cargo and destinations it is shipped to. They also clean up any messes that are left around (busted red blood cells, foreign bodies, bacteria). The albumin in the plasma regulates osmotic pressure so that the traffic flows appropriately, The different white blood cells control other problems by increasing macrophages and inflammation or decreasing inflammation. The body is a mini city with eveything working toward homeostasis, and the blood is no exception. Conclusion: Describe how leukemia affects the functional capacity of the blood. Leukemia results in an increase of blood cells that can clog bone marrow and blood vessels. The thrombosis result in an inability of blood cells to pass and blood count decreases. This result in a decreased ability of the blood to carry oxygen.