Although blood clots inside the body are bad for your health, clotting, also known as coagulation, is an essential part of the healing process. People with certain medical conditions or nutrient ... In this episode, Blood Associate Editor Dr.

Understanding the Context

Jason Gotlib discusses the Review Series "The New Wave of Targeted Therapeutics for MPN’s", with authors Drs. Stefan Constantinescu, Ann Mullally, and Marina Kremyanskaya. Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells of the body, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. [1] Blood is composed of blood cells suspended in plasma.

Key Insights

Blood is a specialized fluid that constantly flows throughout your body. It’s made of plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Blood is a fluid that transports oxygen and nutrients to cells and carries away carbon dioxide and other waste products. It contains specialized cells that serve particular functions. These cells are suspended in a liquid matrix known as plasma.

Final Thoughts

It has four main components: plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The blood that runs through the veins, arteries, and capillaries is known as whole blood—a mixture of about 55% plasma and 45% blood cells. About 7% to 8% of your total body weight is blood. Detailed information on blood, including components of blood, functions of blood cells and common blood tests. The main job of red blood cells, or erythrocytes, is to carry oxygen from the lungs to the body tissues and carbon dioxide as a waste product, away from the tissues and back to the lungs.