Includes bibliographical references and index.

Print version record.

Blood Cells; Contents; Preface; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; About the companion website; Chapter 1 Blood sampling and blood film preparation and examination; Obtaining a blood specimen; Peripheral venous blood; 'Capillary blood'; Cord blood; Fetal blood sampling; Obtaining a blood specimen from other sites; Anticoagulant and specimen container; Guidelines; Needle-prick injury; Specimen mixing; Making a blood film; Manual spreading of a blood film on a glass slide (wedge-spread film); Other methods of spreading thin films Automated spreading of blood films; Thick films.

Unstained wet preparationsFixation, staining and mounting; Fixation; Staining; Mounting; Storage of slides; Setting up and using a microscope; Identifying the source of a problem and preventing problems; Examining a blood film; References; Chapter 2 Performing a blood count; Basic techniques; Haemoglobin concentration; Packed cell volume; The red cell count; Derived red cell variables -- red cell indices; The white cell count; The platelet count; The differential white cell count; The reticulocyte count; Units and approved abbreviations; Automated image analysis.

Pattern-recognition automated differential countersAutomated blood cell counters; Principles of operation of automated haematology counters; Beckman-Coulter instruments; Five-part differential Beckman-Coulter instruments including LH 750 and LH 780; Sysmex and other instruments incorporating impedance measurements; Siemens instruments (previously Technicon then Bayer instruments); Abbott (Cell-Dyn) instruments; Horiba ABX instruments; Nihon Kohden instruments; Mindray instruments; Automated reticulocyte counts and reticulated platelet counts; Near-patient testing; Non-invasive methods.

Storage of blood specimens prior to testingReferences; Chapter 3 Morphology of blood cells; Examining the blood film; Storage-induced and other artefacts; Erythrocytes; Anisocytosis; Microcytosis; Macrocytosis; Hypochromia; Hyperchromia; Anisochromasia; Dimorphism; Polychromasia; Poikilocytosis; Inclusions in erythrocytes; Circulating nucleated red blood cells; Red cell agglutination, rouleaux formation and red cell rosetting; Leucocytes; Granulocytes; The neutrophil; The eosinophil; The basophil; Lymphocytes and plasma cells; The lymphocyte; The plasma cell; Cells of monocyte lineage.

The monocyteMonocyte precursors; The macrophage; Granulocyte precursors; The myeloblast; The promyelocyte; The myelocyte; The metamyelocyte; Leucoerythroblastic blood films; The mast cell; Disintegrated cells; Necrotic bone marrow cells; Platelets and circulating megakaryocytes; Platelets; Abnormalities of platelet size; Other abnormalities of platelet morphology and distribution including platelet aggregation and satellism; Megakaryocytes; Abnormal megakaryocytes and megakaryoblasts; Blood film in healthy subjects; Healthy adult; Infancy and childhood; Neonate; Hyposplenism.

Non-haemopoietic cells.

Enables both the haematologist and laboratory scientist to identify blood cell features, from the most common to the more obscureProvides essential information on methods of collection, blood film preparation and staining, together with the principles of manual and automated blood countsCompletely revised and updated, incorporating much newly published information: now includes advice on further tests when a specific diagnosis is suspected400 high quality photographs to aid with blood cell identificationHighlights the purpose and clinical relevance of haematology laboratory tests throughout.