Utility of peripheral blood smear in platelet count estimation

Authors

  • Vyankatesh T. Anchinmane Department of Pathology, Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences, Naharlagun, Arunachal Pradesh, India
  • Shilpa V. Sankhe Department of Pathology, Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences, Naharlagun, Arunachal Pradesh, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20190348

Keywords:

Hematology analyzer, Platelet count, PBS

Abstract

Background: There are several methods of platelet count used in hematology laboratory. These methods are manual counting, automated hematology analyzer counting, platelet count estimation by peripheral blood smear (PBS) method etc. Many diseases such as dengue, malaria, pregnancy induced hypertension etc. may leads to severe thrombocytopenia. Timely and precise diagnosis of platelet count plays very crucial role in critical care management of thrombocytopenia cases. The present study was undertaken to estimate platelet counts by PBS method and correlate them with results from automated hematology analyzer method.

Methods: Study included one hundred randomly collected blood samples in EDTA anticoagulant vacutainer tubes. Each blood sample was processed for platelet count estimation with automated hematology analyzer and Leishman’s stained PBS examination. The statistical analysis was done by using Pearson's correlation test to access the agreement between both the methods.

Results: The Pearson's correlation test showed significant positive correlation for platelet count estimation between both the methods. (r =0.9789).

Conclusions: Platelet count estimation by PBS method is reliable and statistically significant when compared to hematology analyzer method. PBS platelet estimation method can be taken as early and rapid procedure for platelet assessment in critical severe thrombocytopenia cases. This method is simple, cheaper and can be done in rural hospital setup where automation is not available.

References

Bain BJ. Diagnosis from the blood smear. N Engl J Med. 2005;353:498-507.

Tefferi A, Hanson CA, Inwards DJ. How to interpret and pursue an abnormal complete blood cell count in adults. Mayo Clin Proc. 2005;80(7):923-36.

International Council for Standardization in Haematology Expert Panel on Cytometry; International Society of Laboratory Hematology Task Force on Platelet Counting. Platelet counting by the RBC/Platelet ratio method: A reference method. Am J Clin Pathol. 2001;115(3):460-4.

Oliveira RA, Takadachi MM, Nonoyama K, Barretto OC. Is automated platelet counting still a problem in thrombocytopenic blood? Sao Paulo Med J. 2003;121(1):19-23.

Gao Y, Mansoor A, Wood B, Nelson H, Higa D, Naugler C. Platelet count estimation using the Cella vision DM 96 system. J Pathol Inform. 2013;4:16.

Anitha K, Itaji V. Comparison of platelet count by peripheral smear method and automated method in pregnant women. Natl J Physiol Pharm Pharmacol. 2014;4(1):39-42.

Malok M, Tichener EH, Bridgers C, Lee BY, Bamberg R. Comparison of two platelet count estimation methodologies for peripheral blood smears. Clin Lab Sci. 2007;20(3):154-60.

Ogawa M. Differentiation and proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells. Blood. 1993;81:2844-53.

Brecher G, Cronkite EP. Morphology and enumeration of human blood platelets. J Appl Physiol. 1950;3:365-77.

Briggs C, Harrison P, Machin SJ. Continuing developments with the automated platelet count. Int J Lab Hematol. 2007;29(2):77-91.

Charie LA, Harrison P, Smith CU, Cobb JR, Briggs C, Machin S. Accuracy in the low platelet count range: A comparison of automated platelet counts on Beckman coulter high-volume hematology analyzers with the ISLH/ICSH platelet reference method. Lab Hematol. 2001;7:236-44.

Adewoyin AS, Nwogh B. Peripheral Blood film-A review. Ann of Ib Postgrad Med. 2014;12(2):71-9.

Webb DI, Parker L, Webb K. Platelet assessment from peripheral blood smear (PBS). Alaska Med. 2004;46(4):92-5.

Bajpai R, Rajak C, Poonia M. Platelet estimation by peripheral smear: Reliable, rapid, cost-effective method to assess degree of thrombocytopenia. Int J of Med Sci Res and Pract. 2013;2(2):90-3.

Ault KA. Platelet counting: Is there room for improvement? Laboratory Hematol. 1996;2:139-43.

Downloads

Published

2019-01-25

How to Cite

Anchinmane, V. T., & Sankhe, S. V. (2019). Utility of peripheral blood smear in platelet count estimation. International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 7(2), 434–437. https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20190348

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles