WEBVTT

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The ability to make a thin

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blood smear is an essential skill
for medical laboratory scientists.

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This video will demonstrate
how to make a smear

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well prepared blood smears
allow laboratory

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and to effectively examine
a patient's blood for abnormalities

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which may indicate disease states
or chronic conditions.

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So it is critical that the smears prepared
correctly to ensure

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an accurate reflection of a patient's
current health condition.

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The specimen of choice for making a blood
smear is one

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that is anti coagulated by EDTA.

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EDTA stands for ethylene
diamine, tetra acetic acid,

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and the tubes that utilize it
have a lavender stopper.

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This anticoagulant
is the preferred anticoagulant

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because it preserves
red and white blood cell morphology.

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Prior to making a slide,
the sample must be gently mixed

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to make sure there will be an even
distribution of cells on the smear.

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You don't want too much plasma or too
many cells.

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You will need clean
glass slides to make a smear,

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one for the smear
and the other to push the blood.

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The slides must be clean or the blood may
not evenly distribute across the slide.

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After mixing the blood, use
a capillary tube

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to transfer some blood from the tube
and put a small dot on the glass slide.

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This dot will be approximately
2 to 3mm in diameter.

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If you get too small of a drop,

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the smear will be too short
and can dry out before you make the slide.

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If the drop is too big,
your smear may be too long and will

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go off the end of the slide.

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Alternately, you can use a wooden
stick to make the dot.

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If there isn't a lot of blood in the tube,
the wooden stick doesn't work

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very well, but with a full tube of blood
it works very well.

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After putting the drop on the slide, use
the other slide to push the blood

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into a smear.

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The second slide is placed
at approximately a 25 degree angle.

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Place the edge of the pusher
slide on the slide with the drop on it,

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and pull the upper slide
back into the drop of blood on the bottom.

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Slide until the drop starts to spread
along the edge of the slide smoothly.

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Push the slider
across the surface of the other

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slide to the end, while maintaining
even light pressure.

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If performed correctly,
your smear should cover about two thirds

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of the length of the slide.

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Have a feathered edge,
and be free of bubbles or ridges.

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The edge may be
straight or slightly curved.