Lab
Notes - 1
When would a “buffy coat smear” be used:
When WBC count is
<1.0 x 109/L
When would you use a “thick blood smear”:
When blood parasites
(malaria, trypanosoma, etc) are suspected
Blood storage and acceptable smears:
Smears should be made
within 2 – 3 hours of collection
Angle of spreader slide when making wedge smears:
30o – 40o
To correct for too thick a wedge smear:
Decrease angle of
spreader slide and go slower
Decrease size of blood
drop used