How do you prepare a peripheral blood smear?
Well-made peripheral smears can be prepared by starting with only a drop of blood at one end of a clean glass slide. The drop is smeared lightly and quickly with a wedge technique so as to leave a thin “feather” edge where all cells may be examined individually, particularly red blood cells.
Where do RBC go after splenectomy?
However, after a splenectomy the lack of presence of the spleen means this function cannot be carried out so damaged erythrocytes will continue to circulate in the blood and can release substances into the blood.
What are the important considerations in the preparation of a perfect peripheral blood smear?
It takes considerable practice to consistently make perfect blood smears. The handmade wedge or thin slide is the most commonly prepared blood film. Three factors may be altered slightly to produce a perfect blood smear: speed, angle and drop size.
Why does splenectomy cause thrombocytosis?
The early, highly significant thrombocytosis, following both splenectomy and general surgery, is caused by increased production of platelets due to the surgical trauma. This is caused by a direct action on bone marrow MK by transforming 2N-8N MK into higher ploidy classes.
How do you stain thin blood film?
Use of Giemsa stain is the recommended and most reliable procedure for staining thick and thin blood films. Giemsa solution is composed of eosin and methylene blue (azure). The eosin component stains the parasite nucleus red, while the methylene blue component stains the cytoplasm blue.
What happens to WBC after splenectomy?
Background: The White Blood Cell (WBC) and Platelet (PLT) counts typically increase after a splenectomy. These changes make interpretation of postoperative lab values difficult and may unduly raise concerns for complications.
Does the spleen store supplies of blood?
Another useful purpose of your spleen is storing blood. The blood vessels in human spleens are able to get wider or narrower, depending on your body’s needs. When vessels are expanded, your spleen can actually hold up to a cup of reserve blood.
What is blood film preparation?
Preparation. Blood films are made by placing a drop of blood on one end of a slide, and using a spreader slide to disperse the blood over the slide’s length. The aim is to get a region, called a monolayer, where the cells are spaced far enough apart to be counted and differentiated.
What is the importance of preparing a good blood film?
Inadequately prepared smear can present different artifacts and lead to errors in the differential count. Blood films should be made immediately after collection of the blood, because cell morphology deteriorates rapidly after sample collection.
How does the spleen affect blood platelets?
The spleen clears out old platelets from the blood; it also acts as a reservoir for platelets. As a fetus is developing, the spleen makes red blood cells, but after the fifth month of gestation, it stops. The spleen also produces compounds called opsonins, such as properdin and tuftsin, that help the immune system.
What is the common stain used in blood film preparation?
Romanowsky-Type Stains. Blood films are routinely stained with a Romanowsky-type stain (e.g., Wright or Wright-Giemsa) either manually or using an automatic slide stainer. Romanowsky-type stains are composed of a mixture of eosin and oxidized methylene blue (azure) dyes.