Abstract
Background: Platelet counts can decrease suddenly in various disorders which need to be diagnosed and managed as early as possible to prevent life-threatening bleeding. Although various methods to estimate platelet counts have been described in the literature, study on platelet count estimation from unstained peripheral blood smears has been mentioned only once in the literature, that too only recently. Considering the potential usefulness of this technique in an emergency, we aimed to estimate the platelet counts from unstained peripheral blood smears and compared it with results from stained smears. Materials and Methods: Platelet counts were estimated in 200 cases using unstained peripheral smears by observing them under oil immersion objective with a lowered condenser and closed iris diaphragm. Platelets were counted in ten oil immersion fields and their average was multiplied by 15000. The same smears were stained and platelet counts determined by routine method. Student’s t test was used to compare the results of two methods. Results: Platelet counts obtained from unstained peripheral smears were not significantly different from stained smears (p value of 0.243). Although platelet counts were underestimated in 75% cases, the maximum deviation was only 15000 in cases of thrombocytopenia and 30000 in patients with normal platelet counts. Conclusion: Platelet counts from unstained peripheral blood smears yield results similar to stained peripheral smears. It can be used in an emergency situation when the routine laboratory facilities are not available and when the treating clinician wants to gain early vital information.
Highlights
Deficiency of platelets can result in life-threatening bleeding which can be prevented by prophylactic platelet transfusions [1]
The aim of the study was to estimate the platelet counts from unstained peripheral blood smears and to compare them with the Manuscript received: 10th October 2016 Reviewed: 25th October 2016 Author Corrected: 8th November 2016 Accepted for Publication: 20th November 2016 platelet counts from stained smears
Platelets were seen as small refractile bodies in unstained peripheral blood smears (Figure 1)
Summary
Deficiency of platelets can result in life-threatening bleeding which can be prevented by prophylactic platelet transfusions [1] Such a rapid reduction in platelet counts can occur in a variety of disorders and have to be diagnosed early so that appropriate management measures can be taken [2,3,4,5,6,7]. Various methods to estimate platelet counts have been described in the literature, study on platelet count estimation from unstained peripheral blood smears has been mentioned only once in the literature, that too only recently. Conclusion: Platelet counts from unstained peripheral blood smears yield results similar to stained peripheral smears It can be used in an emergency situation when the routine laboratory facilities are not available and when the treating clinician wants to gain early vital information
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