CLINICAL LAB SCIENEC

334
ESSENTIALS OF CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE
In the Lab
Table 13-2 Common Problems in Making Blood Films
Problem
Smear too thin or too long
Smear too thick or too short
Ridges or waves in smear
Holes in smear
Uneven cell distributions
Artifacts or unusual cell
appearance
Possible Cause(s)
Drop of blood too small
Spreader slide at too low an angle
Improper speed in making smear
Drop of blood too large
Spreader slide at too high an angle
Improper speed in making smear
Uneven pressure on spreader slide
Hesitation in pushing spreader slide
Slides not clean
Uneven or dirty edge of spreader slide
Uneven pressure during spread of blood
Delay in spreading blood
Uneven or dirty edge of spreader slide
Smear dried too slowly
Smear not fi xed within 1 hour after preparation
High humidity
A
Eosin
stain
Methylene
blue
Fixative
solution
B
Stained
blood
smears
FIGURE 13-2 Quick type of stain for preparing blood films
for microscopic examination (modified Wright-Giemsa).
Source: Delmar/Cengage Learning.
C
FIGURE 13-3 (A) Properly prepared smear.
(B) Smear made on an oily or dirty slide.
(C) Improperly prepared smear where blood is
not drawn smoothly in one motion across slide.
Source: Delmar/Cengage Learning.
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