HEMATOLOGY EBOOK

welcome to my hematology blog..

Hematology, also spelled haematology, is the branch of internal medicine, physiology, pathology, clinical laboratory work, and pediatrics that is concerned with the study of blood, the blood-forming organs, and blood diseases. Hematology includes the study of etiology, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and prevention of blood diseases. the laboratory work that goes into the study of blood is frequently performed by a medical technologist. Hematologist physicians also very frequently do further study in oncology – the medical treatment of cancer.

Blood diseases affect the production of blood and its components, such as blood cells, hemoglobin, blood proteins, the mechanism of coagulation, etc.

Medical Technologist – A Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) or A Medical Laboratory Technologist (MLT) in Malaysia is a healthcare professional who performs chemical, hematological, immunologic, microscopic, and bacteriological diagnostic analyses on body fluids such as blood, urine, sputum, stool, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF ), peritoneal fluid, and synovial fluid, as well as other specimens. Medical Laboratory Scientists or Medical Laboratory Technologist work in clinical laboratories at hospitals, references labs, and biotechnology labs.

When it comes to the challenge and rewards of medicine and science, the medical laboratory scientist (MLS) OR the medical laboratory technologist (MLT) has the best of both worlds. Medical laboratory scientists work in all areas of the clinical laboratory including blood banking, chemistry, hematology, immunology, and microbiology. They perform a full range of laboratory tests – from simple premarital blood tests, to more complex tests to uncover diseases such as HIV/AIDS, diabetes, and cancer. They are also responsible for confirming the accuracy of test result, and reporting laboratory finding to scientist operate complex electronic equipment, computers, and precision instruments costing millions of dollars.

Common tests performed by Medical Laboratory Scientist are complete blood count (CBC), comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP), electrolyte panel, liver function tests (LFT), renal function tests (RFT), thyroid function test (TFT), urinalysis, coagulation profile, lipid profile, blood type, semen analysis (for fertility and post-vasectomy studies), serological studies and routine cultures. In some facilities that have few phlebotomists, or non at all, ( such as in rural areas) Medical Laboratory Scientists or Medical Laboratory Technologists may perform phlebotomy on patients, as this skill is part of the clinical training.

Physician specialized in hematology are known as hematologists. their routine work mainly includes the care and treatment of patients with hematological diseases, although some may also work at the hematology laboratory viewing blood films and bone marrow slides under the microscope, interpreting various hematological test results. In some institutions, hematologists also manage the hematology laboratory. Physicians who work in hematology laboratories, and most commonly manage them, are pathologists specialized in the diagnosis of hematological diseases, referred to as hematopathologists. Hematologists and hematopathologists generally work in conjunction to formulate a diagnosis and deliver the most appropriate therapy if needed. Hematology is a distinct subspecialty of internal medicine, separate from but overlapping with the subspecialty of medical oncology. Hematologists ma specialize further or have special interest, for example in:

• treating bleeding disorders such as hemophilia and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
• treating hematological malignancies such as lymphoma and leukemia
• treating hemoglobinopathies
• in the science of blood transfusion and the work of a blood bank
• in bone marrow and stem cell transplantation.

only some blood disorders can be cured.

(Hematology comes from the Greek words (haima) meaning “blood” and (logos), a root commonly employed to denote a field of study).

Common basic clinical hematology tests

In a clinical laboratory the hematology department performs numerous different tests on blood. the most commonly performed test is the complete blood count (CBC) also called full blood count (FBC). Studies of blood coagulation is a sub-specialty of hematology; basic general coagulation tests are the prothrombin time (PT) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT). Another common hematology test in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).

In a blood bank the Coombs test is the most commonly performed test.

Hematology as basic medical science

• Blood
  • venous blood
  • venipuncture
  • Hematopoiesis
  • Blood tests
  • Cord blood

• Red blood cells
  • Erythropoiesis
  • Erythropoietin
  • Iron metabolism
  • Hemoglobin
  • Glycolysis
  • Pentose phosphate pathway
• Reticuloendothelial system
  • Bone marrow
  • Spleen
  • Liver
• Lymphatic system
• Blood transfusion
  • Blood plasma
  • Blood bank
  • Blood donors
  • Blood groups
• Hemostasis
  • Coagulation
  • Vitamin K
• Complement system
  • Immunoglobulins

abnormality of the hemogloin molecule or of the rate of hemoglobin synthesis

• Anemias (lack of red blood cells or hemoglobin)
• Hematological malignancies
• Coagulopathies (disorders of bleeding and coagulation)

TESTS

Tests used in the investigation of hematological problems include:

• Full blood count
• Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
• Blood film
• Bone marrow examination
• Coombs test
• Diascopy
• serum Ferritin level
• Vitamin b12 and Folate levels
• Prothrombin time
• Partial thromboplastin time
• Protein electrophoresis
• Hemoglobin electropheresis
• Hemoglobin electropheresis
• D-dimer
• EOS

Treatments

Treatments include:

• Diet advice
• Oral medication-tablet or liquid medicines
• Anticoagulation therapy
• Intramuscular injections (for example, Vitamin B12 injections)
• Blood transfusion (for anemia)
• Venesection also known as therepeutic phlebotomy (for iron overload or polycythemia)
• Bone marrow transplant (for example, for leukemia)
• All kinds of anti-cancer chemotherapy
• Radiotherapy (for example, for cancer).