Hemostasis is the mechanism to prevent blood loss. It is a fast acting system that has multiple steps to reduce blood loss, temporarily and then permanently plug the leak until the integrity of the blood vessel is restored. There are four main phases to hemostasis with the blood coagulation phase following vascular >> Read More ...
Blood is contained within the cardiovascular system – the heart and blood vessels – with additional amounts stored in the liver and spleen. The quantity of blood in the human body is approximately 5.5 liters. When bleeding, up to 20% of this total blood volume can be lost without a person being at risk provided >> Read More ...
White blood cells are important components of the body’s immune system. These cells are also known as leukocytes. There are different types of white blood cells which are broadly divided into the granulocytes and agranulocytes named so due to the presence of granules within the >> Read More ...
Bleeding is the loss of blood from a vessel and the medical term is hemorrhage. Although bleeding is often only associated with an open wound on the skin, there can be blood loss internally without any obvious signs of bleeding. Blood may pass out into environment any of the extravascular spaces – these are any >> Read More ...
What is hypertension? Hypertension is the medical term for elevated blood pressure. This is a higher than normal pressure within the blood vessels as blood travels through it. High blood pressure in the short term does not cause any significant damage in the body and may even go unnoticed. However, prolonged elevation of >> Read More ...
What is cyanosis? Cyanosis is the medical term for a blue to purple discoloration of the skin which arises from deoxygenated hemoglobin in the blood stream. It may also be seen on the mucous membranes, especially of the mouth, tongue and eyes. Cyanosis is a sign of low oxygen levels in the blood (hypoxemia). It occurs when >> Read More ...
What is hypercalcemia? Hypercalcemia is the medical term for elevated calcium levels in the blood. Most patients with moderately elevated blood calcium levels are asymptomatic (without symptoms) and hypercalcemia is often detected upon routine blood tests. It can however lead to acute emergencies, often associated with >> Read More ...
What is the thymus gland? The thymus gland is a flask-shaped organ lying in the lower neck and upper part of the mediastinum (superior mediastinum) in the chest cavity. It is an important part of the immune system in that it plays a major role in cell-mediated immunity. However, surgical removal of the thymus gland, even >> Read More ...
What is the spleen? The spleen is a spongy oval-shaped organ and is roughly the size of a person’s fist. It is located in the left upper quadrant (hypochondrium) of the abdomen, just under the left ribcage. The spleen has many important functions in the body involving the storage of blood and immune activity but it >> Read More ...
Polycythemia is due to an excess of red blood cells. This is known as true polycythemia and occurs when some pathology triggers the excessive production of red blood cells. True polycythemia leads to an elevated red blood cell count. Relative polycythemia or apparent polycythemia is where the total red blood cell count is >> Read More ...
