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anything you know about blood

Blood
 What is blood?
• Five things are carried by blood
– Water
– Oxygen
– Nutrients
– Carbon dioxide
– Waste material

• The average human body contains about 5.5

litres of blood
 What is blood?
• Blood is made up of
– Red blood cells
– White blood cells
– Platelets
– Plasma
Centrifuging blood

Plasma

White blood
cells and
platelets

Red blood
cells
Blood on a microscope slide

QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Blood cells
 Red blood cells
• Are made in the bone marrow
• Have no nucleus
• Are like flattened disks (for greater surface
area)
• Contain haemoglobin which gives the red colour
• Haemoglobin contains iron and transports
oxygen
– Blood containing oxygen is bright red
– Blood without oxygen is blue
• These cells live ~100 days
 White blood cells
• Are bigger than red blood cells
• Have a nucleus
• Are less numerous than red blood cells
• Are an important part of our immune system - they destroy
harmful bacteria and viruses
 Platelets
• Have no nucleus
• Help blood to clot by forming fibrin strands (e.g.
when you cut yourself)
 Plasma
• Is a clear, yellow liquid
• Is 90% water
• Is 10% nutrients, waste products and
chemicals (hormones)
• Transfers heat around the body Plasma

• Red and white cells are suspended in White blood

plasma cells and
platelets

Red blood
cells
 Blood types
• There are several varieties of human blood
• Some people can exchange blood while others can not
• Do you know your blood type?
• Blood contains, at most, two types of antigens (A or B)
• Antigens are your immune system’s greatest security
• Antigens create antibodies which are chemicals used to fight microorganisms in the blood
• For safe blood transfusion the donor can’t have antigens that the recipient hasn’t seen before.
Otherwise cells will clump and form deadly blockages.
 Blood types
IF YOU ARE ANTIGEN(S) ON YOU CARRY
YOUR CELLS ANTIBODIES
AGAINST
Type A A Blood type B
Type B B Blood type A
Type AB A and B No antibodies
Type O No antigens Blood type A and B

• Type A and type B can’t exchange blood

• Type AB can receive blood from everyone but give blood to
no one (except AB) = universal receiver
• Type O can’t receive blood from anyone (except O) but can
give blood to anyone = universal donor
 Rhesus factor
• Rhesus (Rh) is another type of antigen
• This must also match for safe transfusion
IF YOU ARE ANTIGEN(S) ON YOUR
CELLS
Rh positive Contains rhesus antigens
Rh negative No rhesus antigens
The Human Heart
The Human Heart
The Human Heart
The Human Heart
 Did you know…..
Octopuses have three
hearts. Two pump blood
through each of their two
gills, while the third
pumps blood through
their body.
http://www.ahealthyme.com/Imagebank/heart.swf
 Blood
There are three main types of blood
• Red
cells:
blood cells:
- Carry oxygen to all the cells of the
body
- They are tiny, round and flexible
- They contain haemoglobin. (Oxygen
combines
• with cells:
White blood haemoglobin to give red
colour)
- Protect the body from disease.
- They are bigger and fewer and have
a nucleus
• Platelets:
- Aid in the clotting of blood
The Heart Artery to body
(Aorta)
Artery to
Vein from lung
body
Veins from
lungs
Right
atrium Left
atrium

Left
Right
ventricl
ventricle
e
Thick wall
of
ventricle