Health and medicine: Fetal hemoglobin and hematocrit

Although mom controls the oxygen source, the fetus has a couple of clever tricks to get the most oxygen possible! Rishi is a pediatric infectious disease physician and works at Khan Academy.

Health and medicine

The medical world can be a confusing place. Patients, their families, and even students entering health fields might feel overwhelmed by the large vocabularies and complicated explanations. We hope to make understanding the medical world a bit easier. Look around! These videos do not provide medical advice and are for informational purposes only. The videos are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read or seen in any Khan Academy video.

Introduction to hematologic system

Roughly 5 L of blood fill your arteries, veins, capillaries, and venules. What’s it good for you ask? It carries oxygen to help your cells carry out respiration in addition to a number of other substances like lipids and hormones throughout the body. In cases of blood loss, such as trauma situations, the physician must be wary of the different blood types. We will explore the intricacies of the hematologic system here.

Topic: Science

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