1. 1.Jenny, a healthy young woman, had a battery of tests during a physical for a new job. Her RBC count was at the higher end of the normal range at that time, but four weeks later it was...

1. 1. Jenny, a healthy young woman, had a battery of tests during a physical for a new job.
Her RBC count was at the higher end of the normal range at that time, but four weeks
later it was substantially elevated beyond that. When asked if any circumstances had
changed in her life, she admitted to taking up smoking. How might her new habit explain
her higher RBC count?
Ans: Smoking causes smoker’s plycythemia. Polycythemia is a condition where blood forming
organs automatically produce large quantities of extra RBC when tissues are in hypoxic (too
little O2 in blood) condition. Smoking inhibits the proper oxygen delivery to the tissues as smoke
contains higher concentration of CO. Thus during smoking a large quantity of CO is inhaled with
breathed air which creates hypoxic condition within body, stimulating the blood forming organs
to form more RBC which increase the RBC count of blood.
Smoking initially does not increase the RBC count, but regular smoking with high frequency
increase blood cell count gradually.
2. A gang member was stabbed in the chest during a street fight. He was cyanotic and
unconscious from lack of blood delivery to the brain. The diagnosis was cardiac tamponade.
What is cardiac tamponade and how does it cause the observed symptoms?
Ans: cardiac tympanode is caused by the accumulation of fluid in the pericardial space (a space
surrounding the heart). When large volume of fluid is accumulated in the pericardial space it
exerts pressure on the heart and prevents the heart ventricle from filling with blood properly
which in turn decreases the stroke volume and ineffective pumping of blood,...