3/4/24, 21:32 PhysioEx Exercise 11 Activity 1

PhysioEx Lab Report

Exercise 11: Blood Analysis
Activity 1: Hematocrit Determination
Name: Jorge Barba
Date: 3 April 2024
Session ID: session-e3b2190e-105a-f5dc-d9c8-ba0fda544d85

Pre-lab Quiz Results

You scored 100% by answering 4 out of 4 questions correctly.

1 Hematocrit

You correctly answered: of 40 means that 40% of the volume of blood consists of RBCs.

2 A buffy coat layer

You correctly answered: is all of the above.

3 The diagnosis of anemia indicates

You correctly answered: a lower-than-normal hematocrit.

4 Polycythemia refers to

You correctly answered: a significant increase in RBCs.

Experiment Results
Predict Question
1 Predict Question: Predict how the hematocrits of the patients living in Denver, Colorado
(approximately one mile above sea level), will compare with the hematocrit levels of the
patients living in Boston, Massachusetts (at sea level).

Your answer: The hematocrits of the Denver residents will be higher than those of the
Boston residents.

Stop & Think Question

1 Why would the hemoglobin levels of an anemic patient be lower than the hemoglobin levels
of a normal, healthy individual?

You correctly answered: Because hemoglobin resides in RBCs, you would anticipate a low
hematocrit level to coincide with a low hemoglobin level.

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3/4/24, 21:32 PhysioEx Exercise 11 Activity 1

Experiment Data
Blood Height of Height of red Height of buffy Hematocrit % WBC
sample column of blood cell coat
blood layer (white blood
cells)
1 100 mm 48 mm 1 mm 48 1
2 100 mm 44 mm 1 mm 44 1
3 100 mm 55 mm 1 mm 55 1
4 100 mm 53 mm 1 mm 53 1
5 100 mm 19 mm 0.5 mm 19 0.5
6 100 mm 32 mm 1 mm 32 1

Sample 1: healthy male living in Boston

Sample 2: healthy female living in Boston
Sample 3: healthy male living in Denver
Sample 4: healthy female living in Denver
Sample 5: male with aplastic anemia
Sample 6: female with iron-deficiency anemia

Post-lab Quiz Results

You scored 100% by answering 4 out of 4 questions correctly.

1 Anemia refers to

You correctly answered: a lower-than-normal hematocrit.

2 To complete the blood test to measure hematocrit, you must seal the blood-containing
capillary tubes on one end with a clay material so that

You correctly answered: the blood sample can be centrifuged without having the blood
spray out of the tube.

3 Possible causes of polycythemia include

You correctly answered: living at high altitudes.

4 You would expect anemia to develop in a person

You correctly answered: who has abnormally shaped hemoglobin in their RBCs.

Review Sheet Results

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3/4/24, 21:32 PhysioEx Exercise 11 Activity 1

1 List the hematocrits for the healthy male (sample 1) and female (sample 2) living in Boston
(at sea level) and indicate whether they are normal or whether they indicate anemia or
polycythemia.

Your answer:

The hematocrit of a healthy man (sample 1) was 48%, while the hematocrit of a healthy
woman (sample 2) was 44%. The typical hematocrit range for healthy men is 42 to 52%, and
for women, it is 37 to 47%. Both are within these normal ranges, suggesting that they do not
have a hematocrit below or above normal. Consequently, they do not show signs of anemia
or polycythemia.

2 Describe the difference between the hematocrits for the male and female living in Boston.
Why does this difference between the sexes exist?

Your answer:

The difference between the hematocrits for the male and female living in Boston is that the
male's hematocrit level is a little higher than the female's. This difference between the sexes
exist is because that men have higher levels of testosterone in their body than females.
Testosterone stimulates erythropoietin, which is a hormone produced by the kidneys that
increases production of proerythroblasts. Proerythroblasts are red blood cell precursors.
Therefore, hormones play an important role in red blood cell production, causing a
difference between the hematocrits for males and females.

3 List the hematocrits for the healthy male and female living in Denver (approximately one
mile above sea level) and indicate whether they are normal or whether they indicate anemia
or polycythemia.

Your answer:

The hematocrit for the male living in Denver is 55%, while the hematocrit for the female
living in Denver is 53%. The average hematocrit for males is 42-52%, and the average
hematocrit for females is 37-47%. Because both samples of the male and female's
hematocrit level falls above their average genders' healthy range, this indicates that both
individuals have polycythemia. Polycythemia is having a higher-than-normal hematocrit
level.

4 How did the hematocrit levels of the Denver residents differ from those of the Boston
residents? Why? How well did the results compare with your prediction?

Your answer:

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During the experiment, I predicted that the hematocrits of the Denver residents will be
higher than those of the Boston residents. This is due to the reason that Denver is
approximately one mile above sea level while Boston is at sea level. Living in higher altitudes
causes polycythemia as there are less oxygen in the air at higher elevation. Because there is
less oxygen, the kidneys' response would be to stimulate erythropoietin, thereby increasing
red blood cells or hematocrit.

5 Describe how the kidneys respond to a chronic decrease in oxygen and what effect this has
on hematocrit levels.

Your answer:

The kidneys response to a chronic decrease in oxygen is by secreting more erythropoietin, a

hormone that stimulates red blood cell production, causing a higher hematocrit. This allows
more oxygen to be carried to the tissues.

6 List the hematocrit for the male with aplastic anemia (sample 5) and indicate whether it is
normal or abnormal. Explain your response.

Your answer:

The hematocrit for the male with aplastic anemia (sample 5) is 19%. The average range of
hematocrit for healthy males is 42-52%. Therefore, this individual has an abnormally low
hematocrit. This condition could be due to the failure of the bone marrow to produce an
adequate number of red blood cells.

7 List the hematocrit for the female with iron-deficiency anemia (sample 6) and indicate
whether it is normal or abnormal. Explain your response.

Your answer:

The hematocrit for the female with iron-deficiency anemia (sample 6) is 32%. The average
range of hematocrit for healthy females is 37-47%. Therefore, this individual has an
abnormally low hematocrit. Iron is crucial because the heme portion of a hemoglobin
molecule needs an atom of iron for oxygen molecules to bind. If there isn't enough iron
available, the body cannot manufacture hemoglobin. As a result, this would lead to an
abnormally low level of hematocrit.

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