Hematology

Crozer Health hematologists specialize in diseases of the blood and blood components, including blood and bone marrow cells. They are able to perform tests to help diagnose blood disorders, including anemia, infection, hemophilia, blood-clotting disorders and leukemia.

Blood Disorders

Many hematology and blood disorders require clinical care by a physician or other health care professional.

Anemia: A common blood disorder, which occurs when there are fewer red blood cells than normal, or there is a low concentration of hemoglobin in the blood.

Thalassemia: An inherited disorder that affects the production of normal hemoglobin, which is a type of protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to the tissues in the body. Thalassemia includes a number of different forms of anemia.

Hemophilia: An inherited bleeding disorder in which blood doesn’t clot due to a lack of clotting factor.

Thrombosis: Occurs when clots block blood vessels.

Polycythemia Vera: A rare blood disorder in which there is an increase in all blood cells, particularly red blood cells. The increase in blood cells makes the blood thicker. This can lead to strokes or tissue and organ damage.

Thrombocythemia: A type of disease in which the bone marrow makes too many red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets. It results in too many platelets in the bone marrow, which make normal clotting of blood difficult.

Leukemia: A condition in which the body makes too many blood cells of one type. These abnormal cells, usually white blood cells, look different from normal blood cells. They don't work as they should. They also interfere with the making of other blood cells, usually red blood cells and platelets.

Common Hematological Tests

Complete blood count (CBC): Used to aid in diagnosing anemia, certain cancers of the blood, inflammatory diseases, and to monitor blood loss and infection.

Platelet Count: Used to diagnose and/or to monitor certain types of bleeding and clotting disorders

Prothrombin Time, Partial Thromboplastin Time or International Normalized Ratio: Used to evaluate bleeding and clotting disorders and to monitor anticoagulation (anticlotting) therapies.

Bone Marrow Biopsy: It involves taking cells from the bone marrow for analysis for many types of disease.

Blood Donation and Banking

According to the Red Cross, someone in the U.S. needs blood every two seconds.

People in surgeries, people who have been in traumatic accidents and people with certain diseases like cancer and sickle cell disease all need donor blood. Most blood donors are volunteers. However, sometimes, a patient may want to donate blood a couple of weeks before undergoing surgery, so that his or her blood is available in case of a blood transfusion.

Blood banking is the process that takes place in the lab to make sure that donated blood is safe before they are used in blood transfusions and other medical procedures. Blood banking includes typing the blood for transfusion and testing for infectious diseases.