[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Physiology](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/) › Blood, hemostasis and basic immunity # Blood, hemostasis and basic immunity Red cells and iron, white cells, blood groups, hemostasis and coagulation. 18 pages ## Exam priority: high - [**Anemia physiology and compensation** Mechanism · Anemia means too little hemoglobin to carry oxygen](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/anemia-physiology-and-compensation/) - [**Blood groups, transfusion and transfusion reactions** Concept · Red cells carry sugar and protein labels (A, B, Rh)](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/blood-groups-transfusion-and-transfusion-reactions/) - [**Coagulation tests: PT/INR, aPTT and platelets** Measurement · A few blood tests show which part of clotting is failing: the platelets, the extrinsic pathway…](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/coagulation-tests-pt-inr-aptt-and-platelets/) - [**Primary hemostasis and platelets** Mechanism · When a vessel is cut it narrows and platelets stick to the wound, forming a soft plug in seconds…](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/primary-hemostasis-and-platelets/) - [**The coagulation cascade** Mechanism · A chain of blood proteins turns on one after another to make thrombin, which weaves fibrin…](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/the-coagulation-cascade/) ## Exam priority: medium - [**Body iron balance** Regulation · The body cannot get rid of extra iron, so it controls how much the gut absorbs](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/body-iron-balance/) - [**Erythropoiesis and erythropoietin** Regulation · The kidney measures oxygen](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/erythropoiesis-and-erythropoietin/) - [**Fibrinolysis and natural anticoagulants** Regulation · Blood has built-in brakes that keep clots small, and a cleanup enzyme, plasmin, that dissolves…](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/fibrinolysis-and-natural-anticoagulants/) - [**Hematopoiesis** Concept · All blood cells come from a few stem cells in the bone marrow that copy themselves and mature…](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/hematopoiesis/) - [**Innate and adaptive immunity: overview** Concept · The body has a fast, general defence (innate) and a slower, precise one with memory (adaptive)](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/innate-and-adaptive-immunity-overview/) - [**The physiology of inflammation** Mechanism · Inflammation is the body's alarm: vessels widen and leak so defence cells and proteins reach the…](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/the-physiology-of-inflammation/) - [**The red cell life cycle and the spleen** Concept · A red cell lives about four months](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/the-red-cell-life-cycle-and-the-spleen/) - [**The red cell: shape, counts, maturation and the red cell indices** Measurement · Red cells are flexible discs full of hemoglobin; their size and colour numbers (MCV, MCH, MCHC)…](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/the-red-cell-shape-counts-maturation-and-the-red-cell-indices/) - [**Thrombosis and bleeding: Virchow's triad and hemostatic defects** Mechanism · Clots form where blood is slow, the vessel wall is damaged or the blood clots too easily](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/thrombosis-and-bleeding-virchow-s-triad-and-hemostatic-defects/) - [**White blood cells: types and functions** Table to know · White blood cells are the body's defence team](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/white-blood-cells-types-and-functions/) - [**White cell kinetics and the lines of defence in inflammation** Regulation · In infection, resident macrophages act first, neutrophils pour in within hours, monocytes…](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/white-cell-kinetics-and-the-lines-of-defence-in-inflammation/) ## For completeness - [**Polycythemia: physiological causes** Mechanism · Polycythemia means too many red cells](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/polycythemia-physiological-causes/) - [**Rh incompatibility** Mechanism · An Rh-negative mother can make antibodies against her Rh-positive baby's red cells](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/rh-incompatibility/) ## A to Z - [A](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/a-z/a/) - [B](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/a-z/b/) - [C](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/a-z/c/) - [D](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/a-z/d/) - [E](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/a-z/e/) - [F](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/a-z/f/) - [G](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/a-z/g/) - [H](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/a-z/h/) - [I](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/a-z/i/) - [L](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/a-z/l/) - [M](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/a-z/m/) - [N](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/a-z/n/) - [O](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/a-z/o/) - [P](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/a-z/p/) - [R](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/a-z/r/) - [S](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/a-z/s/) - [T](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/a-z/t/) - [U](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/a-z/u/) - [V](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/a-z/v/) - [W](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/a-z/w/) [← Physiology](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/) Educational physiology content; not a diagnostic or treatment guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. Values are approximate references. No doses are given. Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/physiology/areas/blood/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/physiology/areas/blood/