Specimen Type/Requirements

Requires 4 thick and 4 thin peripheral blood smears and EDTA Whole Blood.   

Prepare the thick smears by putting one drop of blood from a fingerstick or the tip of a phlebotomy needle onto the end of a slide. Spread the blood around with the corner of another slide to make the smear the size of a dime. A proper thick smear is thin enough that print can be read through it.

Prepare thin smears in the same manner a smear for a differential is made.