Cardio 01 & 02: Blood Flashcards
Lectures 01 and 02 (100 cards)
The pulmonary and systemic circulations are arranged in _______, but systemic circulation to different organ systems is in _______.
The pulmonary and systemic circulations are arranged in series, but systemic circulation to different organ systems is in parallel.
In general blood passes through ___ set(s) of capillaries before returning to the heart.
Portal systems involve ____ capillary bed(s).
In general blood passes through one set of capillaries before returning to the heart.
Portal systems involve two capillary beds.
What is transported by the blood through the cardiovascular system (list six)?
- O2
- CO2
- Nutrients
- Hormones
- Waste products
- Heat
During CPR how should chest compressions be performed?
Depress sternum 4-5 cm at a rate of 100/minute

What is the difference between primary and secondary cardiovascular disturbances?
Primary are direct CVS problems that can be wither congenital or acquired. CV disorders effect ~11% of small animals in a hospital population.
Secondary disturbanced of the CVS occur as a consequence of non-cardiovascular disorders or disease
List some examples of congenital primary CV disorders/diseases
- Cardiac defects e.g.
- valve defects
- defects of the heart wall
- Defects of the major vessels
- Clotting disorders
Image shows congenital aortic stenosis

List some examples of acquired primary CVD
- Haemorrhage – eg. due to trauma
- Acquired clotting disorders (e.g. warfarin poisoning)
- Primary cardiac disease, eg. Myocarditis, myopathy, acquired valvular disease (e.g. from ageing), infection of valves
- Parasitic infections (eg. heartworm)
Image shows heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis)

(1) What is the name of the organism commonly called ‘heartworm’ in pets and (2) what kind of organism is it? (3) How is it commonly spread?

- Dirofilaria immitis
- It belongs to the filarioidea, a superfamily of highly specialised parasitic nematodes (roundworms)
- Spread through bites from mosquitoes (intermediate host)

(1) What is the name of the horse parasites commonly known as “bloodworms”?
(2) What is the life cycle and some of the clinical issues and signs?
(3) What are two of the most common treatments?
- Strongylus vulgaris (large strongyles)
- Usually acquired through faeces (from eating grass etc contaminated)
- Life cycle: adults lay eggs in cecum and colon which lass out in faeces. These hatch into larvae and are consumed e.g. on grass. Consumed larvae migrates to the small intestine where they enter the intestinal mucosa and develop further to a stage that can enter the blood vessels. Here they continue their migration throughout the body to various organs causing damage to the blood vessels along the way, for a period of up to six months. They then return to the intestinal wall to copulate and lay their eggs and the cycle begins again.
- Clinical signs: Weight loss, dull goat, impaired performance, diarrhea, weakness, anorexia, anemia, severe colic, rupture of the intestines, and death. Diagnosis through fecal culture.
- Ivermectin and Moxidectin
What are some examples of secondary CV dysfunction (arise as a restult of diesase/disorder elsewhere)?
- Severe vomiting or diarrhoea can lead to loss of water & electrolytes (e.g. Na+, Cl-, K+, Ca2+). This can lead to cardiac arrhythmias & heart failure
- Septic shock/endotoxaemia - bacterial infection (bacteraemia) in the bloodstream
- Anaesthetic overdose - most depress the CNS, barbiturates also depress hearts ability to pump
List the three main cellular components of blood (poper names)
- Red blood cells (erythrocytes) 4.8 - 5.4 million/μL
- White blood cells (leucocytes) 5000 - 10,000/μL
- Neutrophils 60-70%
- Lymphocytes 20-25%
- Monocytes 3-8%
- Eosinophils 2-4%
- Basophils 0.5-1.0%
- Platelets (thrombocytes) 150,000 - 400,000/μL
What are two other functions of blood besides its respiratory and transport roles?
- Homeostasis/regulation
- Body temperature & pH
- Protection
- Immunity & clotting
What is the matrix of blood tissue and what is it composed of?
Blood plasma forms usually about 55% of blood. Of this:
- water makes up 91.5%,
- proteins (albumins (helps maintain fluid balance), globulins (important in immune responses), fibrinogen (important in blood clotting & inflammation), and others) make up about 7%,
- other solutes (e.g. electrolytes, nutrients, gasses, regulatory substances, vitamins, and waste products) make up about 1.5%

What is one way to separate out different components of the blood?
Centrifuge

Approximately what % of body mass is comprised of blood volume?
Differs between species: approx 5.5 - 11% of body mass
What is the usual size range of erythrocytes?
4 - 9μm
Erythrocytes form as biconcave discs in most species eg. dogs, cats,
horses, humans and flexible (as move through capillaries etc).
What difference in appearance do ruminant, pig, and camelid RBCs display?
They are flatter (less concavity), and some species are ovoid.
See attached slide of ovoid alpaca erythrocytes.

What kind of lifespan do most erythrocytes/RBCs have?
2 (e.g. cats) - 6 (e.g. cattle) months
Older erythrocytes bbecome less flexible and more prone to damage
What kind of animal might this slide of erythrocytes/RBCs belong to? Why?

Some kind of non-mammal (e.g. bird, lizard, fish, frog) as these all have nuclei, while mammalian erythrocytes lack nuclei and organelles.
The slide in fact shows reptilian RBCs.
What is the term for variation in RBC/erythrocyte shape?
In what mammalian species does this commonly occur natirally (non-clinical)?

- Poikilocytosis (from from poikilos (ποικίλος) meaning “varied” in Ancient Greek)
- Mostly goats and cattle (image is bovine blood)
- Can indicate clinically relevant issues in other species
What is the term for variation in erythrocyte/RBC size in some animals?
What species are you likely to encounter that display this?
- Anisocytosis (from Ancient Greek: an- ‘without’ or ‘negative quality’ + iso- ‘equal’ + cyt- ‘cell’ + -osis ‘condition’)
- Commonly found in normal cattle
- It can be a clinical sign in other species (e.g. indicating anaemia)
What are the main functions of erythrocytes/RBCs?
Transport of O2 and CO2
- O2 transported via haemoglobin (Oxyhaemoglobin)
- CO2 may be transported:
- in solution
- as bicarbonate
- bound to protein(carbamino compounds)

What is the type of step cell that produces both erythrocytes and leukocytes?
Where are they found?
- Multipotential hematopoietic stem cell (hemocytoblast)
- Bone marrow

RBCs have no nucleus so are incapable of cell division.
Where are they produces from nucleated stem cells (–> erythroblasts) in (1) the fetus and (2) in adults?
- In the fetus RBCs are primarily produced in the liver & spleen
- In adults, production occurs within bone marrow.







































