A haematologist is a specialist doctor who treats conditions affecting the blood, the bone marrow and the lymphatic system.
A haematology Nurse Practitioner (NP) is a Registered Nurse (RN) experienced in clinical haematology who has been educated at a Masters Level, and provides patient care in an advanced and extended clinical role.
Haematologists and haematology NPs treat both malignant and non-malignant disorders. They play an active role at every stage of caring for a patient, from their first visit to a clinic, through diagnosis and during treatment.
Central Coast Haematology cares for patients with diseases of the blood, blood-forming organs (bone marrow) and lymphatic system (part of the immune system).
You may be referred to a haematologist because you had a condition involving your red or white blood cells, platelets, blood vessels (thrombosis), bone marrow, lymph nodes or spleen.
Blood, bone marrow and lymphatics
Blood transports oxygen and nutrients to all cells in the body and is made up of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma. Most of the blood cells are made in the bone marrow.
Bone marrow is the spongy tissue in the middle of certain bones (e.g. vertebrae, pelvis and sternum) and it makes most of the blood cells. The bone marrow contains a large number of immature stem cells that make all the blood cells in your body.
The lymphatic system is part of the body’s immune system and helps protect us from infection and disease. It is made up of a vast network of vessels, similar to blood vessels, that branch out into all the tissues of the body.