Laboratory Skills

Question 1

what equipment is required to complete a blood smear?

Answer 1

whole blood in EDTA or heparin tube
capillary tube
microscope slides
china marker pencil
tissue or paper towel
gloves

Question 2

what should the blood smear slide be labelled with?

Answer 2

patients details and date

Question 3

what is the correct technique for holding the slide?

Answer 3

hold the slide edges with the index finger and thumb of dominant hand

Question 4

describe how to prepare the slide and blood before using either the push or pull technique to create the blood smear

Answer 4

gently invert the tube to mix the sample
hold the tube at an angle and introduce the capillary tube
allow blood to move up the capillary tube
place a drop of blood onto one end of a clean slide
discard the capillary tube into a sharps bin

Question 5

where should the capillary tube be disposed of?

Answer 5

sharps bin

Question 6

what are the 2 techniques used to create a blood smear?

Answer 6

push and pull

Question 7

describe how to perform the push technique to create a blood smear

Answer 7

take a second slide and lie the edge flat on the smear slide
pull the second slide back until it contacts the drop of blood
allow the blood to spread along the edge of the slide
once it has push it away from the drop of blood firmly and swiftly

Question 8

how should the smear slide be dried?

Answer 8

waving it in the air

Question 9

describe how to perform the pull technique to create a blood smear

Answer 9

take a second slide and lie the edge flat on the smear slide
push the second slide back until it contacts the drop of blood
allow the blood to spread along the edge of the slide
once it has pull it away from the drop of blood firmly and swiftly

Question 10

what should a completed smear look like?

Answer 10

fully contained on the slide
not too thick
not so thin that there are scratch marks

Question 11

what should the feathered edge of a smear look like when held up to the light if done correctly?

Answer 11

should contain a rainbow effect

Question 12

describe the process of Dif-Quik staining

Answer 12

dip slide into fixative for one second and remove (x5)
drain excess fluid onto a paper towel
dip slide into solution A - eosinophilic stain for one second and remove (x5)
drain excess fluid onto a paper towel
dip slide into solution B - basophilic stain for one second and remove (x5)
drain excess fluid onto a paper towel
rinse slide with buffer solution or run gently under the tap
rest slide vertically and allow to air dry

Question 13

what solution should the slide be dipped into after the fixative?

Answer 13

solution A - eosinophilic stain

Question 14

what solution should the slide be dipped into after solution A - eosinophilic stain?

Answer 14

solution B - basophilic stain

Question 15

what should the slide be rinsed with after solution B - basophilic stain?

Answer 15

buffer solution or run gently under the tap

Question 16

how many times and for how long should the slide be dipped into each solution?

Answer 16

5 x each for 1 second

Question 17

what is the role of a focus adjustment on a refractometer?

Answer 17

twisting the eye piece will focus the readout

Question 18

what is the role of a calibration dial on a refractometer?

Answer 18

twist to calibrate the refractometer to ensure reading is accurate

Question 19

what is the role of a flap/lid on a refractometer?

Answer 19

lifted to place urine/serum onto the reading surface

Question 20

what is the role of the prism(reading surface) on a refractometer?

Answer 20

what urine/serum sits on to be read

Question 21

what is the role of a eyepiece on a refractometer?

Answer 21

look through to view results

Question 22

how should a refractometer be calibrated?

Answer 22

ensure refractometer is clean
place a small volume (one or two drops) of distilled water onto the prism (reading surface) and close the lid.
Look through the eye piece and ensure that the line between the blue section and the white section lies at 1.000 SPG.

Question 23

how can you ensure the refractometer prism (reading surface is clean?

Answer 23

wipe with clean tissue and distilled water

Question 24

what specific gravity reading should be given for distilled water?

Answer 24

1.000

Question 25

what should you do if the refractometer doesn’t give a reading of 1.000 with distilled water?

Answer 25

adjust the calibration dial to bring the dividing line to 1.000.

Question 26

describe how to read urine specific gravity

Answer 26

gently invert urine sample
1 to 2 drops of urine onto the prism (reading surface)
Close the lid and look through the eye piece. Read off the specific gravity

Question 27

where is the refractometer reading taken from?

Answer 27

division between blue and white colour blocks

Question 28

what is the normal urine specific gravity for a dog?

Answer 28

1.016 - 1.060

Question 29

what is the normal urine specific gravity for a cat?

Answer 29

1.020 - 1.040

Question 30

what are normal serum total protein ranges for dogs and cats?

Answer 30

60-75g per litre

Question 31

what scale must be read from when reading urine specific gravity?

Answer 31

Urine SPG or UG