Transport and Circulation Book Definitions

plasma

A yellowish liquid taking up just over half of blood's volume.

red blood cells

Also called erythrocytes, are by far the most numerous type of blood cell.

hemoglobin

An iron-containing protein that transports oxygen.

anemia

A condition in which there is an abnormally low amount of hemoglobin or a low number of red blood cells.

white blood cells

Leukocytes that contain nuclei and other organelles, and are larger and lack hemoglobin.

platelets

Bits of membrane pinched off from larger cells in the bone marrow.

fibrinogen

A protein found in the plasma.

fibrin

A threadlike protein.

embolus

A blood clot that forms within a blood vessel and then dislodges from that point of origin and travels elsewhere in the body via the blood.

hemophilia

A genetic mutation in a gene for a clotting factor results in excessive, sometimes fatal bleeding.

blood transfusion

The process by which blood is intravenously transferred from one person into another.