Intro to Hematopathology

Question 1

Lab that tells you about the consistency in size of RBC (could just look at the smear):

Answer 1

RDW – red cells distribution width

Question 2

weight of Hb in red cell

Answer 2

MCH (mean corpuscular hemoglobin)

**or MCHC (mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration)

Question 3

10 things to look at in a blood smear:

Answer 3

1. Red cell number – evenly spread, normal amounts – location of view on blood smear is important
2. Red cell size – microcytic, normocytic (80-100), macrocytic – hard to tell by just looking at blood smear (no comparison)
3. Red cell shape – anything that is not nice, round, and smooth

 Sickle-shaped, fragmented, target-shaped, teardrop-shaped, acanthocytes, echinocytes

4. Red cell chromasia – amount of Hb in RBC (never too much)

 Normal = zone of central pallor is 1/3 of cell size; Hypochromic (big zone of central pallor)

5. Reticulocytes – RBC precursors, have lost their nucleus but bigger than mature RBC w/ some RNA (purplish)
6. Weird stuff – ex. Howell-Jolly bodies, nucleated RBC, basophilic stippling (RNA left in cell)
7. White cell number
8. White cell differential – count 100-200 cells, identify the WBC and look at morphology
9. Platelet count – thrombocytosistoo many platelets
10. Platelet morphology – look normal most of the time – look at size, granules, etc.