Red Blood Cell & Fibrin, Sem

This Scanning Electron Micrograph Sem Depicted A Closer View Of Number Of Red Blood Cells Found Enmeshed In A Fibrinous Matrix On The Luminal Surface Of An Indwelling Vascular Catheter; Magnified 5698X. In This Instance, The Indwelling Catheter Was A Tube That Was Left In Place Creating A Patent Portal Directly Into A Blood Vessel. Note The Biconcave Cytomorphologic Shape Of Each Erythrocyte, Which Increases The Surface Area Of These Hemoglobin Filled Cells, Thereby, Promoting A Greater Degree Of Gas Exchange, Which Is Their Primary Function In An In Vivo Setting. In Their Adult Phase, These Cells Possess No Nucleus. What Appears To Be Irregularly Shaped Chunks Of Debris, Are Actually Fibrin Clumps, Which When Inside The Living Organism, Functions As A Key Component In The Process Of Blood Clot Formation, Acting To Entrap The Red Blood Cells In A Mesh Like Latticework Of Proteinaceous Strands, Thereby, Stabilizing And Strengthening The Clot, In Much The Same Way As Rebar Acts To Strengthen, And Reinforce Cement. (Photo By BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images)