10 Questions
What is the percentage of the total volume of a blood sample that is made up of the RBC layer?
45%
What is the purpose of spinning a blood sample in a centrifuge?
To separate the layers of the blood sample according to their density
What is the term for the thin, whitish layer that contains leukocytes and platelets?
Buffy coat
What is the nonliving fluid matrix that suspends the formed elements in blood?
Plasma
What is the term for the living cells suspended in the plasma of blood?
Formed elements
What is the main reason for separating blood into layers through centrifugation?
To examine the different components of blood
What is the primary component of the buffy coat layer?
Leukocytes and platelets
What is the term for the ratio of the volume of erythrocytes to the total volume of blood?
Hematocrit
What is the term for the living cells suspended in the plasma of blood?
Formed elements
What is the characteristic of the blood components that determines their position in a centrifuged sample?
Density
Study Notes
Blood Composition
- Blood is a specialized type of connective tissue consisting of living cells (formed elements) suspended in a nonliving fluid matrix called plasma.
Blood Layers
- When a blood sample is spun in a centrifuge, it separates into layers according to density.
- The layers, from heaviest to lightest, are:
- Red Blood Cell (RBC) layer, also known as packed cell volume (PCV) or hematocrit, which makes up 45% of the total blood volume.
- Buffy coat (a thin whitish layer) containing leukocytes and platelets at the RBC-Plasma junction.
Blood Composition
- Blood is a specialized type of connective tissue consisting of living cells (formed elements) suspended in a nonliving fluid matrix called plasma.
Blood Sample Layers
- When spun in a centrifuge, a blood sample separates into layers based on density, with the heaviest at the bottom and the least dense at the top.
- The three layers that form are:
- Red blood cells (RBCs or erythrocytes) layer, making up 45% of the total blood sample volume (also known as packed cell volume or hematocrit).
- Buffy coat, a thin, whitish layer at the RBC-plasma junction, containing leukocytes and platelets.
Learn about blood tests, the composition of blood, and the separation of blood components through centrifugation.
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