The examination of a peripheral blood smear is one of the most informative exercises a physician can perform. Blood films are done to investigate hematological problems involving red blood cells, leukocytes white blood cells, and platelets. Why do we still need to evaluate peripheral blood smears. Author david s rosenthal, md professor emeritus harvard medical school. Shape analysis of the cells in peripheral blood smear for. Peripheral blood smear test procedure the blood smear test is a simple procedure in which your health care provider draws a blood sample from the vein in your arm. An examination of the blood smear may be requested by physicians or initiated by laboratory staff. May 01, 2015 peripheral blood smear examination macroscopic view. Color atlas and instruction manual of peripheral blood. The blood smear test is often done to diagnose conditions that are causing. Blood smear, alternatively known as peripheral blood smear is a laboratory test in which a thin film of blood is blotted on a microscope slide followed by staining the specimen to permit numerous blood cells to be microscopically observable.
Examination of the peripheral blood smear is an inexpensive but powerful diagnostic tool in both children and adults. Scroll left and right to see various peripheral blood components. Hematopathology consultation, peripheral smear labcorp. Utmedical school at houston, pathology last revision on. The peripheral blood film remains a very useful tool in hematological assessment. This book will be a fullcolor atlas of both benign and neoplastic proliferations in the blood. Synoptic reporting system for peripheral blood smear. Peripheral blood smear definition of peripheral blood smear. This essential guide can help readers identify blood type cells, which are difficult to categorize, and explains the morphologic characteristics of peripheral blood cells in detail. An accurate peripheral blood smear report can elucidate a vast spectrum of hematologic disorders, guide further testing, and have a critical impact on patient care. Occasionally, patients present with no peripheral blasts aleukemic leukemia. Investigation of abnormal peripheral blood smear morphology suggestive of bone. A complete blood count cbc, also known as a full blood count fbc, is a medical laboratory. Theres no substitute for a set of human eyes examining a peripheral blood smear under a microscope.
The use of glass slides for desi profiling of blood samples leaves the opportunity to combine it. The smear offers a window into the functional status of the bone marrow, the factory. The test request form must be completed with patient history, including pertinent clinical information and physicians name and telephone number. Peripheral blood smear analysis is a common practice to evaluate health status of a person. Careful examination of the peripheral blood smear is of key importance to the diagnosis of leukemia. Tips for evaluating a peripheral blood smear for possible sepsis by scott warner, mltascp in an era of point of care testing and increasing automation, its nice to be needed.
A blood filmor peripheral blood smearis a thin layer of blood smeared on a glass microscope slide and then stained in such a way as to allow the various blood cells to be examined microscopically. A thin smear of blood is prepared on following the protocol onto a glass. A blood film or peripheral blood smear is a thin layer of blood smeared on a microscope slide. Peripheral blood smear test results fully explained a blood smear is basic test that is used to determine diagnostically if there are any abnormalities within the blood. A synoptic reporting system for peripheral blood smear. Peripheral blood test your knowledge below is a slide at high magnification under an oil immersion lens.
P, india corresponding author a b s t r a c t malaria. Many hematological diagnoses depend upon this procedure and often a definitive diagnosis can be established from the careful examination of the blood film. Abundant information can be gathered from the blood smear, including subtle changes such as toxic changes in the neutrophils, hemic parasites in the erythrocytes or low numbers of neoplastic cells or mast cells that may help to make a diagnosis. Introduction to peripheral blood smear examination oncohema key.
Disease caused by any parasite can be diagnosed using the shape of rbcs and wbcs. A blood smear reveals information about the number and shape of blood cells in the body. Peripheral blood smear synonyms, peripheral blood smear pronunciation, peripheral blood smear translation, english dictionary definition of peripheral blood smear. Moderate anisopoikilocytosis occasional oval macrocytes, dacrocytes, and elliptoid cells is seen. The white blood cells are decreased in number and consist mostly of blasts 41% as reported on the differential. The focus will be on the three primary types of cells that can be found within the blood. There, the lab technician looks at it under a microscope. Signs of sepsis tips for evaluating a peripheral blood smear. The blood sample is sent to the lab where a drop of blood is spread thinly onto a glass slide and it is then treated with a special strain. Although advances in automated technology have made the examination of a peripheral blood smear by a physician seem less important, the technology is not a completely. The examination of the peripheral blood smear is an important basic hematological procedure.
The red cells are decreased in number and are normochromic and macrocytic. The slide is stained with leishmans, and examined under a microscope. The examination and interpretation of peripheral blood smears is an important component of clinical pathology. Teaching the clinical interpretation of peripheral blood smears to a. Peripheral blood film or peripheral blood smear or peripheral smear examination forms an important and basic lab investigation for diagnosing a number of hematological blood disorders. Icsh guidelines for the standardization of bone marrow. Place a small drop of blood, or one side about 12 cm from one end. Peripheral blood smear definition of peripheral blood. Use the oil immersion lens to identify each cell type. The elements seen, altogether, are not representative of normal peripheral blood, but are portrayed for learning and identification purposes. Water absorbed from the humid air into the alcohol based stain. Second, appearance of the organism in peripheral blood, especially in cats, can be. A blood smear is a blood test that gives information about the number and shape of blood cells.
Highquality, bevelededge microscope slides are recommended. Microscopic examination of the peripheral blood is used to supplement the information provided by. Malignant cells in a peripheral blood smear report of a. Most cases of acute leukemia have blasts or immature cells in the peripheral blood.
Jun 12, 2016 1 introduction to peripheral blood smear examination. Pdf purpose and criteria for blood smear scan, blood smear. Reports of malignant cells in a routine blood smear have been extremely rare. This program has a knowledge base containing 150 peripheral blood smear report templates covering a wide spectrum of pathologic findings. Oct 18, 2016 preparation of smear there are three types of blood smears. A comparative analysis of peripheral blood smear and rapid.
Peripheral blood smear test about, preparation, test. Although advances in automated technology have made the examination of a peripheral blood smear by a physician seem less important, the technology is not a completely satisfactory replacement for a blood smear interpretation by a trained medical professional who also knows the patient. The slides should be dried as quickly as possible to prevent. Seed haematology the role of the peripheral blood smear in. In nutshell, the value of peripheral blood smear in assessing morphology and differential counting of blood cellular elements cannot be downplayed. Peripheral blood smear test purpose, procedure, results. Peripheral blood smear analysis using image processing. A phlebotomist, a person specifically trained to draw blood, first cleans and sterilizes the injection site with an antiseptic. Mix 1 part maygrunwald stain, 1 part wrightgiemsa stain, and 1 part 6. Many disorders such as malaria, anemia, leukemia, thrombocytopenia, sickle cell anemia etc. The who recommendations for the definition of cytopenia are the same reported in the international prognostic scoring system.
However, all abnormal platelet counts are verified in leishmans stained peripheral blood smear. Signs of sepsis tips for evaluating a peripheral blood. Introduction to peripheral blood smear examination. Comparison of manual versus automated data collection. Or, the blood may be examined by an automated machine. Blood films are examined in the investigation of hematological blood disorders and are routinely employed to look for blood parasites, such as those of malaria and filariasis. The best place to examine blood cell morphology is the feathered edge of the blood smear where red cells lie in a single layer, side by side, just barely touching one another but not overlapping. Detecting disease states or syndromes of the white blood cells, red blood cells, or platelet cell lines of a patients peripheral blood. Peripheral blood smear procedure and interpretation. The wedge smear the cover glass smear the spun smear the are two additional types of blood smear used for specific purposes buffy coat smear thick blood smears for blood parasites 10. Diagnosis and classification of myelodysplastic syndrome.
Complete blood count cbc interpretation limitations. It is not appropriate to use the same edge of a slide for more than a single film. Without delay place a spreader at an angle of 45 from the slide and move it back to make contact with. Pdf a microscopic examination of an appropriately prepared and.
Attention to detail in slide preparation, staining and standard criteria for cell estimates, morphology and differential reporting enhance the value of results provided to the physician. The peripheral blood film pbf is a laboratory workup that involves cytology of peripheral blood cells smeared on a slide. Preparation of smear there are three types of blood smears. Section editor lawrence lk leung, md editorinchief hematology section editor disorders of hemostasis and coagulation maureen lyles dambrogio professor of medicine. The degree of anisocytosis usually correlates with increases in the rdw or the.
A complete blood count cbc and peripheral blood film is a blood panel. Peripheral blood or potassium edta anticoagulated blood 12 mg edta1 ml blood may be used. A peripheral blood smear is a glass microscope slide coated on one side with a thin layer of venous blood. As basic as it is, pbf is invaluable in the characterization of various. Peripheral blood smear examination linkedin slideshare. We developed a webbased synoptic reporting program to assist in peripheral blood smear reporting. The final interpretation requires the integration of peripheral blood, bone marrow aspirate and trephine. Turnaround time is defined as the usual number of days from the date of pickup of a specimen for testing to when the result is released to the ordering provider. A variety of methods are available for preparing and staining blood smears, the most common of which are discussed in this atlas. Peripheral blood smear are usually examined to investigate hematological problems and occasionally, to look for parasites within the blood. Peripheral blood smear examination macroscopic view. Complete blood cell count and peripheral blood film, its. It is often done as part of or along with a complete blood count cbc.
The examination of blood films stained with wrights stain frequently provides important clues in the. The role of the peripheral blood smear in the modern haematology laboratory automated haematology cell counting the laboratory practice of haematology has evolved tremendously over the past few decades with automated analyser generated complete blood counts cbc having fully replaced the original manual individual parameter assay methods. Peripheral blood smear test results fully explained hrf. Peripheral blood smear the peripheral blood smear provides important information about defects in red cell production chap. Peripheral blood smear, preparation, examination, interpretation, reporting, blood cells morphology. The white blood cells are decreased in number and consist mostly of. Assessment of platelet count is an important diagnostic parameter in haematology. A peripheral blood smear, or blood film, is a microscope slide made from a drop of blood for microscopic examination. When studying the blood smear slide, pay close attention to nuclear characteristics, staining patterns, and cell diameter remember that erythrocytes are usually 78 m in diameter. As a complement to the red cell indices, the blood smear also reveals variations in cell size anisocytosis and shape poikilocytosis. In conclusion, examination of the peripheral blood smear is an essential component of a cbc.
The smear is stained with wrights stain and performed after the complete blood count is run. So there is a need in designing an automated system that can identify the shape. Platelets also can be identified in the unstained blood smears. Peripheral blood morphology for hematological disorders remains a very important diagnostic tool give vital clues for further work up essential in situations where automated cell counter fails due to interferences peripheral blood smear examination a reflex test. Healthcare professionals have been challenged in evaluating peripheral blood smears essentially since the invention of the microscope. Automated blood cell counters have largely replaced the manual method. Users can access this system on the internet and select. When the first automated hematology analyzers appeared in clinical laboratories in the 1960s, they ushered in a welcomed workflow change for bench technologists. Estimation of platelet count in unstained peripheral blood. A properly prepared blood smear is essential to accurate assessment of cellular morphology. The interpretation of peripheral blood smears has an important role in the diagnosis of hematologic diseases and is, therefore, part of the education of. Prepare a second smear by repeating steps 35, using the edge of the first slide to spread a drop of blood on the second slide. The wedge smear is a convenient and commonly used technique for making peripheral blood smears. Fix the slide using pure methanol in a coplin jar for 2 minutes and air dry.
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