COLEGIO SAN AGUSTIN-BACOLOD

College of Health and Allied Professions MLS 113A LABORATORY ACTIVITY SHEET
Medical Technology Program

NAME OF STUDENT: Erika Joille R. Patayon BSMT3-C DATE PERFORMED: 9/ 13/2020

TITLE OF LABORATORY ACTIVITY: _Blood Components DATE SUBMITTED: 9/16/2020

I. OBSERVATION
1. On the space provided, attach a picture of a capillary tube with separated blood components (after
centrifugation). Identify the blood components in the layers formed of a centrifuged capillary tube
by labeling the picture.

Capillary tube

Plasma

Buffy coat
(Leukocytes and platelets)

Packed red blood cells

Sealing compound

Figure 1: The photo above shows the capillary tube after centrifugation, a photo
by Sharpe (2018).

II. DISCUSSION:
1. Explain how the blood components are arranged in a centrifuged capillary tube (why the
components are arranged that way?).

The hematocrit test is based on the principle of separating the cellular elements of blood from
plasma by centrifugation. After the blood is centrifuged in a capillary tube, the red cells are at the
bottom of the tube, the white cells and platelets form a thin layer on top of the red cells, and the
plasma is at the top. This layered arrangement following centrifugation is called the packed cell
column. The layer containing the white cells and platelets has a whitish-tan appearance and is
commonly referred to as the buffy coat. The hematocrit is determined by comparing the volume of
red blood cells to the total volume of the whole blood sample. This volume of red cells is the packed
cell volume (PCV) and is reported as the microhematocrit in percentage. Hematocrit referred to as a
crit or Hct. Centrifugal force is used to separate the components of blood, the red blood cells,
 platelets and plasma from each other. The result is that the particles with different densities
precipitate in layers. When a sample of blood is spun in a centrifuge, the cells and cell fragments are
separated from the liquid intercellular matrix. Because the formed elements are heavier than the
liquid matrix, they are packed in the bottom of the tube by the centrifugal force (Wenecke, 2018).

III. GUIDE QUESTIONS:

1. What is a buffy coat layer? What is its function?

It is a concentration of leukocyte suspension. It is called buffy coat because of a buff; which is a

kind of yellowish to brownish in color (buff in hue). Basically, a buffy coat is a combination of platelets
and white blood cells from the whole blood sample. The blood is concentrated using a centrifugation
process collected in EDTA anticoagulant. The fraction of the anti-coagulated blood sample consisting of
white blood cells and platelets is the buffy coat.The buffy coat accounts for less than 1 percent of a
whole blood sample, yet it contains the majority of white blood cells (WBC) and platelets. In fact,
leukocytes can be 10-20x more concentrated in the buffy coat than in whole blood. Therefore these
samples are highly valuable for researchers and healthcare professionals who require WBC and
platelets for studies or treatments. It helps in performing manual differential white blood cell. A buffy
coat is obtained and the blood is smeared. The smeared blood contains a higher number of white
blood cells as opposed to using the whole blood. It is primarily used to extract DNA from the
mammal’s blood sample (Giri, 2020).

2. Differentiate the blood components according to their Hematological application.

The liquid component of blood is called plasma, a mixture of water, sugar, fat, protein, and salts.
The main job of the plasma is to transport blood cells throughout your body along with nutrients,
waste products, antibodies, clotting proteins, chemical messengers that help maintain the body's fluid
balance. Plasma is commonly given to trauma, burn and shock patients, as well as people with severe
liver disease or multiple clotting factor deficiencies. The formed elements are cells and cell fragments
suspended in the plasma.

The three classes of formed elements are: the erythrocytes (red blood cells), leukocytes (white
blood cells), and the thrombocytes (platelets). Erythrocytes or red blood cells, are the most numerous
of the formed elements. Erythrocytes are tiny biconcave disks, thin in the middle and thicker around
the periphery. The primary function of erythrocytes is to transport oxygen and, to a lesser extent,
carbon dioxide. A red blood cell count is a blood test that the laboratorian uses to find out how many
red blood cells (RBCs) the patient have, it is also known as an erythrocyte count. Leukocytes, or white
blood cells on the other hand, are generally larger than erythrocytes, but they are fewer in number. It
is the sample used in a white blood cell (WBC) count which measures the number of white blood cells
in the blood, and a WBC differential determines the percentage of each type of white blood cell
present in your blood. Lastly, Thrombocytes or platelets which are not complete cells but are small
fragments of very large cells called megakaryocytes. It is utilized as a part as part of a full blood count
 (FBC) or to diagnose or monitor a bone marrow disorder or blood disease (Johns, 2020).
IV. CONCLUSION

Laboratory analysis in hematology is concerned with the examination of blood for the purpose
of detecting pathologic conditions. It includes performing blood cell counts, evaluating the clotting
ability of the blood, and identifying cell types. These tests are valuable tools that allow the physician to
determine whether each blood component falls within its reference range. It is important in clinical
laboratory that different blood components are identified since each components serve for different
purpose and used as a sample for different test. The common purpose of blood separation is testing the
various blood components account to medical prescriptions. Each blood component has its unique role
and function, thus separating it is the crucial process of the examination. Today’s technology and
knowledge of those operating allow us to separate whole blood into its various components. In this way,
the doctor transfuses only the blood component that a patient needs. This lets us maximize the use of
human blood, which is such a vital resource (Eberts, 2019).

V. REFERENCES

Eberts, D. (2019). The science behind separating blood and platelets. Retrieved on September 15, 2020
from https://www.oneblood.org/media/blog/platelets/the-science-behind-separating-blood-
and-platelets.stml

Giri, D. (2020). Buffy Coat. Retrieved on September 15, 2020 from https://laboratoryinfo.com/buffy-
coat/

Johns, A. (2020). Composition of the Blood. Retrieved on September 15, 2020 from
https://training.seer.cancer.gov/leukemia/anatomy/composition.html

Sharpe, L. (2018). Hematology. Retrieved on September 15, 2020 from

https://nursekey.com/hematology-2/

Wenecke, G. (2018). Hematocrit - a review of different analytical methods. Retrieved on September 15,
2020 from https://acutecaretesting.org/en/articles/hematocrit--a-review-of-different-analytical-
methods.