Importance of Red Blood Cells

What Are Red Blood Cells?

Red blood cells, or erythrocytes, are one of the components of blood. (The others are plasma, platelets and white blood cells.) They are continuously produced in our bone marrow. Just two or three drops of blood can contain about one billion red blood cells – in fact, that’s what gives our blood that distinctive red color.

What Is the Function of Red Blood Cells?

Red blood cells carry oxygen from our lungs to the rest of our bodies. Then they make the return trip, taking carbon dioxide back to our lungs to be exhaled.

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What Does a Low Red Blood Cell Count Mean?

A low red blood cell count, known as anemia, can cause fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness and other symptoms. If untreated, anemia can lead to serious complications. In many cases, anemia occurs when we don’t eat a nutrient rich diet; choosing foods that are rich in iron and other vitamins and minerals can help raise the red blood cell count. Learn about heme iron and which foods are considered rich in iron. 

Anemia can also be caused by pregnancy and certain medical conditions such as bleeding disorders and kidney disease. Talk to your doctor to determine the best course of treatment.

How Are Red Blood Cells Used in Medicine?

Red blood cells are the most commonly transfused blood component. Patients who benefit most from receiving red blood cells include those with chronic anemia resulting from kidney failure or gastrointestinal bleeding, and those with acute blood loss resulting from trauma. They can also be used to treat blood disorders such as sickle cell disease.

How Are Red Blood Cells Collected?

Red blood cells are prepared from whole blood by removing the plasma (the liquid portion of the blood). Sometimes this is done after a person donates a pint of whole blood, resulting in multiple components (red cells, plasma and platelets) that can be given to different patients. Learn more about the different components that can be obtained from a whole blood donation.  

Other times, it is done during the donation itself, using a process called apheresis. In this case, only the red cells are retained and the patient’s plasma and platelets are returned to them. Some donors say that this leaves them feeling more hydrated than giving a whole blood donation.

Red cells have a shelf life of up to 42 days, depending on the type of anticoagulant used when they are stored. They can also be treated and frozen for 10 years or more.

Why Donations Are So Important

Recent studies show that there is a need for blood transfusions every 2 seconds, all of which must be collected from volunteer donors. One powerful way to help is to donate what the Red Cross calls “Power Red.” By donating Power Red, you double your impact by contributing two units of red blood cells in just one donation.

Learn More About Blood Components

Platelets

Plasma

Red Blood Cells

Cryoprecipitate

Whole Blood

Hematocrit

White Blood Cells

Donate Power Red and help trauma patients, surgery patients, people with sickle cell anemia, and others.  

What do your hematocrit test results mean?

Hematocrit tests can tell doctors if someone is anemic, which is one of the most common reasons for ordering the test

What is a hematocrit test | Normal hematocrit levels | Low hematocrit levels | High hematocrit levels |

If you’re showing signs of being anemic (which could include fatigue, grumpiness, headaches, or heavy menstrual cycles), your doctor might want to do bloodwork. A hematocrit test is a type of blood test that can detect anemia and other health conditions, which will help your healthcare provider to properly diagnose and treat you. This article describes what hematocrit tests are and helps explain what your hematocrit levels mean.

What is a hematocrit test?

Hematocrit is a measurement of the size and number of red blood cells that someone has. Everyone’s blood is made up of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The hematocrit (hct) is a measurement of how much of someone’s blood is made up of red blood cells. The test measures by volume but is then expressed as a percentage. If a person has a hematocrit of 40%, this means that he or she has 40 milliliters of red blood cells in 100 milliliters of blood.

Doctors will ask someone to get a hematocrit test as part of a complete blood count (CBC) to see how well they’re responding to a certain treatment and/or to see if they have any underlying health problems. Hematocrit helps measure hemoglobin, which is what’s found in oxygen-carrying red blood cells. It’s important because the body can’t get enough oxygen to function properly without it, says Susan Besser, MD, a family practitioner at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

Why are hematocrit levels important?

Hematocrit tests can tell doctors if someone is anemic, which is one of the most common reasons for ordering the test. Symptoms of anemia include tiredness, grumpiness, heavy menstrual periods, cold hands and feet, and poor concentration. Your doctor may ask you to get a hematocrit test done if you have any of those symptoms.

Hematocrit tests, which are sometimes called packed cell volume tests (PCV), can also help tell doctors whether someone has other nutritional deficiencies or health problems such as leukemia, kidney disease, or arthritis. Hematocrit tests are important because they measure how many red blood cells someone has. Too many or too few red blood cells can indicate certain nutritional deficiencies or diseases that doctors will know how to identify.

What to expect during a hematocrit test

During a hematocrit test, you can expect to have a sample of blood taken by a phlebotomist or another healthcare professional who can draw blood. Getting blood drawn can be uncomfortable, but most people only feel a light prick when the needle inserts the vein. If you need to have a hematocrit test done and know that you might get lightheaded, you can always ask to lie down while your blood sample is taken.

How to prepare for a hematocrit test

There are no special preparations needed prior to drawing a blood sample for just a hematocrit test. If your healthcare provider has ordered additional blood tests you may need to avoid eating or drinking for several hours before the test. Your provider will let you know if there are any special instructions you need to follow.

Risks of a hematocrit test

As with most blood tests, there is very little risk to having a hematocrit test. You may experience slight pain, bleeding, or bruising at the spot where the needle was inserted, but most symptoms resolve quickly.

What is a normal hematocrit level?

The average healthy adult should have a normal hematocrit level that ranges between 35% to 50%. A normal hematocrit level for women is 36% to 44%. For men, a normal range is 41% to 50%. The normal numbers vary a little from lab to lab. This means the average adult female’s total blood volume should consist of 36% to 44% red blood cells, and the average adult male’s blood should be 40% to 50% red cells. Depending on their age, normal values for children range between 30% to 44%.

Hematocrit tests are generally pretty accurate. Test results help doctors diagnose their patients with the right health condition so they can give appropriate treatment. It’s possible for certain things to cause a hematocrit test to give inaccurate results though. Here are some factors that commonly cause abnormally high or low hematocrit levels:

• Pregnancy can cause hematocrit levels that are lower than usual
• Any recent blood transfusions
• Living at a high altitude can cause high hematocrit levels
• Dehydration can cause high hematocrit levels

Doctors are aware of what can potentially skew test results, and they have them in the back of their minds when they’re reading results. If your doctor feels that your hematocrit levels may have been affected by something like dehydration, they may ask you to take the test again at a different time.

Symptoms of low hematocrit levels

Having low hematocrit levels, which is sometimes called anemia, often makes people feel under the weather. If you’re having any of the following symptoms, they could mean you have a low red blood cell count:

• Tiredness
• Lack of concentration
• Shortness of breath
• Headaches
• Heavy menstrual cycles
• Grumpiness

If you take a hematocrit test and your test results report low hematocrit levels, this means you have a lower percentage of red blood cells than you should. Many things can cause low hematocrit levels, which can indicate an underlying health condition like:

• Iron-deficiency anemia 
• Vitamin or mineral deficiencies
• Leukemia
• Lymphoma
• Recent blood loss
• Bone marrow problems
• Overhydration

Just because you have low hematocrit levels, doesn’t necessarily mean that you have any of the above conditions. Your doctor will likely run other medical tests and ask you about your medical history to help determine what’s actually happening.

Symptoms of high hematocrit levels

Experiencing certain symptoms may indicate that you need a hematocrit test and that your hematocrit is high. If you’re having any of the following symptoms, you should talk with your doctor about whether or not a hematocrit test is right for you:

• Tiredness
• Shortness of breath
• Flushed skin
• Sweating
• Dizziness
• Joint pain
• Itching
• Headaches

If you’ve taken a hematocrit test and hematocrit is high, this means that you have more red blood cells than what’s considered to be healthy. High hematocrit levels could indicate underlying medical conditions like:

• Dehydration
• Carbon monoxide poisoning
• Congenital heart disease
• Bone marrow disease (polycythemia vera)
• Scarring of the lungs
• Not enough oxygen in the blood (often from lung conditions)
• Erythrocytosis

Having abnormally high levels of red blood cells doesn’t necessarily mean that you have one of the conditions listed above. High hematocrit levels can mean that you might have a serious health condition like heart disease, but your doctor will run other tests to make sure you’re properly diagnosed.

How to lower hematocrit levels / What to do for high hematocrit levels 

If your hematocrit value is high, it is important to work with your doctor to find out why and to treat any underlying conditions. You may be able to reduce your hematocrit level by the following diet and lifestyle changes:

• Avoiding iron supplements 
• Staying hydrated 
• Avoiding alcohol 
• Eating grapefruit 
• Eating bran (it reduces the amount of iron absorbed by the body)
• Moderate exercise
• Stop smoking

Some patients with very high hematocrit levels may require more serious medical intervention or drug therapy. Always follow the treatment plan prescribed by your doctor.

Other than lifestyle changes, your doctor may prescribe a medication to help with high hematocrit levels. Blood clot medications are commonly prescribed because people with too many red blood cells have a higher risk of getting a blood clot. Aspirin (Aspirin coupons | What is Aspirin?) is sometimes recommended by doctors because of its ability to help with blood clots.

Other medications that doctors prescribe for high hematocrit levels are likely to focus on treating the condition that’s causing the body to produce too many red blood cells, like bone marrow or heart disease. Phlebotomy (bloodletting) is a popular way to control high red blood cell counts. In phlebotomy, blood is taken from the veins to make it thinner.

How do you treat abnormal hematocrit levels?

Once you’ve taken a hematocrit test and know whether or not you have high or low hematocrit levels, the next step is figuring out the cause. Treatment will be based on how abnormal the hematocrit is and its underlying cause.

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What to do for low hematocrit levels / How to increase hematocrit levels

People with extremely low red blood cell counts may need to go to the doctor to get intravenous iron or blood transfusions. If there’s an underlying health condition that’s causing the body to produce less red blood cells, then medication might be needed to help stimulate the production of new red blood cells.

Some lifestyle changes can help increase red blood cell counts. Eating a variety of fresh, healthy foods that contain iron, vitamin B-12, and folic acid can prevent anemia. Taking these nutrients in supplement form can also be beneficial.

The best way to learn more about how to treat low or high hematocrit levels is to talk with your doctor or healthcare provider.

Bitrix 24 online chat

04/21/2019
13118 CRM training

Bitrix24 is primarily a corporate portal, so it has many components, including an important component necessary for communication between company employees – online chat.

The chat panel in Bitrix24 is located on the right side of the desktop:

This panel displays all the latest chats that you have participated in before. To remove unnecessary chats, you need to open the chat window, right-click on the chat you want to remove, and click “Hide Conversation”.

There are two types of online chats in Bitrix24: tête-à-tête and group. The latter, in turn, are divided into open and closed chats. Anyone can join open group chats, while closed ones can be accessed only by invitation.

One-on-one chat is for direct communication between two employees. To start it, you need to click on the pencil icon at the top of the chat window and select the “One-on-one chat” item.

If you want to create a group open or closed chat, you need to select the appropriate item from the drop-down menu in the same place. You can also always add one-on-one colleagues to the chat, and the chat will turn into a group private chat automatically.

In the chat itself, you can attach files, both stored on your computer and in your Bitrix24 cloud space. It can be a file of any format.

You can also mention any employee in the chat using a special button or the “@” symbol

You can also use chat commands using a special button or simply by entering the “/” symbol. Several commands are available, for example, you can format the text as a quote:

For emotional coloring, you can use built-in emoticons or GIF animations.

For operational communication, there is the possibility of voice and video calls up to 8 people in the chat.

You can turn off notifications in a specific chat so that you do not disturb, just click on the bell in the upper right corner of the chat window:

If the communication is long, and you need to find something among hundreds of messages, then you can use the built-in search for this:

There you can also erase the entire history of messages, but it will be erased only for you, the rest of the history will be preserved:

You can also manipulate the messages themselves in the chat. For example, you can mark someone else’s message as unread, quote a message, create a task for yourself based on the message, discuss this message in another chat, or discuss the message in a live feed.

If the message is yours, you can edit or delete it.

Thus, the online chat tool in Bitrix24 allows you to completely transfer the communication of your employees to the corporate portal and refuse to communicate in third-party services.

Vladimir Bezukov
Head of the company

TWIN — Development of voice and chat bots

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PEK

products At a certain stage of our work, we were able to identify one of the main problems of the company – long-term storage of delivered goods in our warehouses. Based on this, we came to the conclusion that it is necessary to reduce the time for informing customers. The solution was not to increase the cost of the alert.

The bot from TWIN helped us with these tasks! Firstly, it promptly informs customers that the cargo has been delivered. Secondly, the bot offers to use the services of a courier. It also includes surveys on the quality of services provided.

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OKB JSC expresses its gratitude to TWIN as an expert in its field, which provided a ready-made platform for outgoing communications with the company’s customers, and also regularly introduces new features that improve the business processes of our projects.

I am very glad that in 2021 OKB JSC launched a project based on the TWIN communications platform. Especially for us, a version of the service with special settings and functionality was developed and implemented, which made it possible to show high economic efficiency.

The introduction of voice bots allows you to increase customer coverage, offer them new services and information, as well as increase the number of sales of OKB JSC services, because they can work around the clock without the participation of a living person.

I especially note the high level of professional competence of the TWIN teams, their responsible attitude and coherence in their work. I recommend TWIN (Uralinnovation LLC) as a reliable partner and express my confidence that our jointly achieved success will be strengthened.

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One of the key aspects of the activity of a guaranteeing electricity supplier is dealing with receivables.