A Peripheral Smear involves spreading a drop of blood on a glass slide and staining it for microscopic examination.

It provides detailed information about red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

Clinical uses include:

Diagnosing anemia types (iron deficiency, megaloblastic, hemolytic).

Detecting infections (malaria parasites, microfilariae).

Identifying blood cancers (leukemia, lymphoma).

Monitoring bone marrow function and systemic diseases.

Analyte: Morphology of blood cells.

Normal Result: Normal size, shape, and distribution of RBCs, WBCs, and platelets.

Abnormal Findings:

RBCs: Microcytosis, macrocytosis, spherocytes, sickle cells.

WBCs: Immature or abnormal leukocytes (suggestive of leukemia).

Platelets: Low count or abnormal morphology.

Parasites: Malaria, filaria, or other blood-borne organisms.

Clinical Use:

Provides direct visualization of blood cell abnormalities.

Supports diagnosis of hematologic and infectious diseases.

Guides further confirmatory tests.