The nurse is caring for a patient who has undergone a splenectomy, and notices that the patient's platelet count has increased. The nurse realizes that the increase is due to:
a. platelet response to infection.
b. stimulation secondary to erythropoietin.
c. the patient's inability to store platelets.
d. the platelet's 120-day life cycle.
C
Two thirds of the platelets circulate in the blood. The spleen stores the remaining third and may become enlarged if excess or rapid platelet removal occurs. In patients who have had a splenectomy, 100% of the platelets remain in circulation. Platelets are the first responders in the clotting response (not infection), and they form a platelet plug that temporarily repairs an injured vessel. RBCs (not platelets) are generated from precursor stem cells under the influence of a growth factor called erythropoietin. Platelets have a life span of 8 to 12 days, but they may be used more rapidly if there are many vascular injuries or clotting stimuli. Maturation of RBCs takes 4 to 5 days, and their life span is about 120 days.
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