Blood Smear

Blood Smear
Year Group: BVSc3 +

Document number: CSL_L02
Equipment list:
Blood Smear
Equipment for this station:
• Whole blood in heparin or EDTA tube
– N.B: Use substitute blood (instead of real blood) if
practising this skill in the Southwell Street CSL
• Capillary tubes
• Microscope slides
• Tissue or paper towel
• Gloves
Considerations for this station:

• Wear gloves
• All glass must be disposed of in a sharps bin
• Anything contaminated with blood must be disposed of in a clinical
waste bin (unless it is sharp)
• Handle glass capillary tubes with care. Instructions for handling capillary
tubes can be found in ‘CSL_R01 Microscope slides’ (in the CSL)
• To stain the smear with Diff-Quik refer to booklet ‘CSL_L06 Diff-Quik
Staining’
• Make sure you are familiar with ‘CSL_I02 Lab Area Rules’ and wear a
correctly fastened lab coat/scrub top, mop up any spills and spray work
surface with 1% Virkon and wash hands in the hand wash sink
Anyone working in the Clinical Skills Lab must read the ‘CSL_I01 Induction’ and
agree to abide by the ‘CSL_I00 House Rules’ & ‘CSL_I02 Lab Area Rules’
Please inform a member of staff if equipment is damaged or about to run out.
Clinical Skills:
Blood Smear
1 2 3
Gently invert the tube to mix Put your index finger over Place a drop of blood onto
the sample. the top of the capillary tube one end of a clean slide.
Hold the tube at an angle before removing it or blood Discard the capillary tube
and introduce the capillary will leak (run back down into into a sharps bin.
tube. Allow blood to move the sample). There are 2 different ways to
up the capillary tube. make a smear: the ‘push’
technique (4a & 4b) and the
‘pull’ technique (6a & 6b)–
either technique is acceptable
and both are shown below.
4a 4b 5
The PUSH technique: Take a Once blood has spread along The smear should be fully
second slide and lie the edge the edge of the second slide contained on the slide (i.e.
flat on the smear slide. Pull then push it away from the not off the edge). It should
the second slide back until it drop of blood firmly and not be too thick or so thin
contacts the drop of blood. swiftly. This can take some that there are scratch marks.
Allow the blood to spread practice! If held up to the light, the tail
along the edge of the slide. Air dry the slide by wafting (feathered edge) of the smear
it. should contain a rainbow
effect.
Clinical Skills:
Blood Smear
6a 6b 7
The PULL technique: Take a Once blood has spread along The smear should be fully
second slide and lie the edge the edge of the second slide contained on the slide (i.e.
flat on the smear slide. Push then pull it away from the not off the edge). It should
the second slide back until it drop of blood firmly and not be too thick or so thin
contacts the drop of blood. swiftly. This can take some that there are scratch marks.
Allow the blood to spread practice! If held up to the light, the
along the edge of the slide. Air dry the slide by wafting tail (feathered edge) of the
it. smear should contain a
rainbow effect.
To stain the blood smear with Diff-Quik refer to booklet ‘CSL_L06 Diff-Quik Staining’
Resetting the station:
Blood Smear
1. Dispose of any glass in the appropriate sharps bin
2. Dispose of anything else contaminated with blood in a

clinical waste bin
3. Return all equipment to its storage container
4. If there is blood left over in the sample, and no one is

waiting to use the station, return it to the blood storage
section of the fridge
Station ready for the next person:
Please inform a member of staff if equipment is damaged or

about to run out.
I wish I’d known:
Blood Smear
• Make a few smears and submit the best ones to the

diagnostic laboratory. If the smear is too thick or too thin
interpretation may be difficult and therefore the results
from the lab may not be as useful as expected.
• Having the correct amount of blood on the slide to start
with is important. If having difficulty making a good quality
smear, the blood drop may be too large or too small.

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Blood Smear

Year Group: BVSc3 +

Considerations for this station:

1. Dispose of any glass in the appropriate sharps bin

2. Dispose of anything else contaminated with blood in a

3. Return all equipment to its storage container

4. If there is blood left over in the sample, and no one is

Station ready for the next person:

Please inform a member of staff if equipment is damaged or

• Make a few smears and submit the best ones to the

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