Automated Blood Counts and Differentials: A Practical Guide

Automated counters provide data on blood samples with greater speed and precision than manual microscopic methods, but generate reports with unfamiliar terms as well as previously unavailable types of information. Automated Blood Counts and Differentials gives the first in-depth examination of this new technology, the data it provides, and their value for hematologic analysis.

This manual offers practical guidelines for evaluating automated blood count results and discusses technical aspects of instrumentation that underline measurement values and artifacts. Chapters on red cells, platelets, and white cells cover basic pathophysiology and clinical interpretation of the most common abnormal blood counts, with individual sections on specific conditions. Ten illustrative case examples give readers an opportunity to interpret data. The book is liberally illustrated and emphasizes correlations between automated hematology and manual blood smear morphology to show how the two methods best complement each other.

Making full use of automated blood counts is a challenge that faces technicians operating the equipment, pathologists working with the results, and physicians receiving the reports. Automated Blood Counts and Differentials will help readers develop expertise in interpreting the data gathered by this new diagnostic tool.

J. David Bessman, M.D., is associate professor of medicine and pathology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.