Mariam Swidan: Some Red Blood Cells Can’t Handle Pressure
Mariam Swidan, Biomedical Science Graduate, Clinical Laboratory Professional, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Clinical Lab Concepts 10- Osmotic Fragility
Some RBCs can’t handle pressure. We can prove it.
Osmotic fragility measures how susceptible red blood cells are to hemolysis when placed in hypotonic solutions.
Principle
RBCs are added to a series of saline solutions with decreasing concentrations. As the solution becomes more hypotonic, water enters the cells, then RBCs swell and rupture (hemolysis).
Normal RBCs:
- Biconcave shape enhances flexibility
- Swell gradually
- Lyse later
Spherocytes:
- Decreased Surface area-to-volume ratio
- Reduced Membrane flexibility
- Rupture much earlier
Earlier hemolysis causes a leftward shift in the curve.
The concentration at which hemolysis begins and completes reflects membrane integrity.
Clinical Relevance
- Increased osmotic fragility: Hereditary spherocytosis, AIHA
- Decreased fragility: Thalassemia, target cells
Limitations
Should be interpreted alongside peripheral smear and other hemolysis markers.
Takeaway
Osmotic fragility reflects RBC membrane stability and surface area relationships; A key in identifying spherocytic disorders
Same RBCs. Different shapes. Completely different survival. ”
Find more posts featuring Mariam Swidan on Hemostasis Today.
-
Jun 10, 2026, 17:49Ankit Mathur: Hosting ISBT Academy Day on Rare Donor Program in India
-
Jun 10, 2026, 17:48Shadi Tabibian: When Patients Bleed but Standard Testing Is Normal
-
Jun 10, 2026, 17:47Mervyn Morgan: Discussing Current ITP Research at Imperial College London
-
Jun 10, 2026, 16:48Maha Othman: How Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Can Improve Risk Assessment of Cancer-Associated Thrombosis
-
Jun 10, 2026, 15:41Maxime Dely: Did You Know That A Single Platelet Donation Can Help Two Patients?
-
Jun 10, 2026, 15:37Wolfgang Miesbach: Why B-Cell Depletion Is Not Always Enough in Immune Thrombocytopenia
-
Jun 10, 2026, 15:30Shadi Tabibian: Living With Unexplained Bleeding – Insights From the Vienna Bleeding Biobank
-
Jun 10, 2026, 15:27Siddharth Mittal: Transfusion Medicine as the Gateway to Cell and Gene Therapy
-
Jun 10, 2026, 15:23Jonathan Douxfils: New Data on Hemostasis, VTE, and Breast Cancer to Rethink the Reference Standard