PRINCIPLES OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE 2

College of Allied Health Sciences

Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science
Second Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023

[TRANS] PMLS UNIT 3: PHLEBOTOMY-RELATED VASCULAR ANATOMY

OUTLINE

I Major Types of Blood Vessels - Arteries, Veins, Capillaries

II Major Arm and Leg Veins Used in Venipuncture
III Composition and Function of Blood
IV Types of Blood Specimens

MAJOR TYPES OF BLOOD VESSELS

 Blood Vessels
o are channels through which blood is distributed to
body tissues
o 3 Major Types
 Arteries
- Carry blood away from the heart
o Wall: 3 layers
 Tunica intima/interna –
Innermost
 Made up of a single layer of
endothelial cells with an
underlying basement
membrane, a connective
tissue layer and an elastic
internal membrane
 Tunica media – middle
 Made up of smooth muscle
tissue and some elastic
fibers.
 Tunica externa/adventitia –
outermost
 Made up of connective
tissue.
 Thicker in arteries than in
veins.
o Arterial blood - bright-red; scarlet
o Have thick walls
 Veins
- Carry blood toward the heart
- Wall: same with arteries
- Have thinner walls
- Venous Blood: dark bluish red;
dark red; dull red or purple
 Capillaries
- smallest and most numerous of the
blood vessels; are only one cell thick
MAJOR ARM AND LEG VEINS USED IN
VENIPUNCTURE
2 BASIC PATTERN ON VEINS
 H-pattern
o Median Cubital Vein
 The preferred venipuncture site. It is the
easiest to access and least painful for the
patient.
o Cephalic Vein
 The second choice for venipuncture. It is
harder to palpate but is usually better when
drawing blood from an obese patient.
o Basilic Vein
 The last-choice vein for venipuncture as it is
not well anchored and punctures on this vein
are more painful
 M-pattern
o Median vein (intermediate antebrachial vein)
 First-choice vein; safest and less painful
o Median cephalic vein (intermediate cephalic vein)
 Second choice for venipuncture; less
likely to roll
o Median basilic vein (intermediate basilic vein)
 Last choice vein because it is more painful

Figure 1 H-pattern and M-pattern

OTHER VEINS
 Veins on the back of the hand or wrist
 H-Leg, ankle, and foot veins

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 TRANS: PMLS 2 Unit 3

- Globulin Defense (antibodies) and

- Fibrinogen lipid transport
 Substances transported by blood
- Nutrients (glucose, fatty acids, amino acids,
vitamins)
- Waste products of metabolism (urea, uric acid)
- Respiratory gases (O2 and CO2)
- Hormones (steroids and thyroid hormone are
carried by plasma proteins)

FORMED ELEMENTS (CELLS)

Cell Type Number (per Functions

mm^3 of Blood)
Erythrocytes 4-6 million Transport
(RBCs) oxygen and help
transport carbon
Figure 2 Veins on the wrist dioxide
Leukocytes 4,800-10,800 Defense and
(WBCs) Immunity

Platelets 250,000 - 400,000 Blood Clotting

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND VOLUME

 Blood Characteristics
Figure 3 Leg, ankle, and foot veins o Sticky, opaque fluid
o Heavier and thicker than water
o Color range
COMPOSITION AND FUNCTION OF THE BLOOD o Metallic, salty taste
 Blood is the only fluid tissue, a type of connective tissue, o Blood pH is 7.35 and 7.45
in the human body. o Blood temperature is slightly higher than body
 Function: Blood transports everything that must be temperature - 38ᵒC or 100.4ᵒF
carried from one place to another, such as nutrients,  Blood Volume
wastes, hormones, and body heat. o About 5–6 liters, or about 6 quarts, of blood are found
 Components of blood: in a healthy adult
o Formed Elements: 45% o Blood makes up 8 percent of body weight
 Erythrocytes (RBCs)
 Leukocytes (WBCs) WHITE BLOOD CELLS
 Thrombocytes (Platelets)
o Plasma – 55% GRANULOCYTES
 Neutrophils  Most numerous type of
PLASMA WBCs
 Segmented or
CONSTITUENT Major Functions multilobed nucleus
 Water  90% of plasma volume;  Fine-textured lavender
solvent for carrying other staining granules
substances; absorbs heat  Eosinophils  Contain blue-red
 Salts (Electrolytes)  Osmotic balance, pH nucleus.
- Sodium buffering, regulation of  Brick red/crimson
- Potassium membrane permeability granules
- Calcium  Two-lobed nucleus
- Magnesium  Basophils  Least numerous type of
- Chloride WBC:
- Bicarbonate  Large histamine
 Plasma Proteins  Osmotic balance, pH containing dark blue-
- Albumin buffering Clotting of blood black staining granules

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 TRANS: PMLS 2 Unit 3

that often obscure a

typically S-shaped
nucleus.

AGGRANULOCYTES
 Lymphocytes  Second most numerous
types of WBC;
 Typically has a large,
round, dark-purple
nucleus that occupies
most of the cell and is
surrounded by a thin rim
of pale-blue cytoplasm.
 Monocytes  Largest WBC.
 U or kidney shaped
nucleus
 Fine, gray-blue
cytoplasm and a large,
dark-staining nucleus

TYPES OF BLOOD SPECIMENS

 Serum
o a clear, pale yellow fluid (nonfasting serum can be
cloudy due to lipids) separated from clotted blood by
centrifugation
o (-) fibrinogen
o many chemistry tests are performed on serum
 Plasma
o a clear to slightly hazy, pale yellow fluid that
separates from the cells when blood in an
anticoagulant tube is centrifuged
o (+) fibrinogen
o Chemistry STAT tests (e.g. elecrolytes) – using
heparin as anticoagulant; Coagulation tests – using
citrate as anticoagulant
 Whole Blood
o contains both cells and plasma, like blood in the
body
o collected in an anticoagulated tube
o most hematology tests (e.g. Complete Blood
Count, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate);
Glycosylated hemoglobin
o POCT (STAT situations)

Figure 4

Figure 5

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