Hyoid Bone Anatomy
White Blood Cell Differential Test Procedures
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The white blood cell differential test is a test to determine the types of white blood cells present in the blood and their percentages.
White Blood Cell Differential Test Procedures:
- First, a finger is lanced and a small drop of blood is allowed to accumulate.
- A drop of blood is placed on one side of a glass slide.
- A second slide is gently pushed along the surface of the first. The blood is drawn out, forming a thin smear.
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- After drying, the surface of the blood smear is flooded with Wright’s stain for 2 minutes.
- Water is added to dilute the stain, and the combination is allowed to remain on the slide for another 2 minutes.
- Water is again used to gently rinse off the stain. It is then blotted dry with bibulous paper.
- The blood smear is placed under a microscope and examined. One hundred (100) WBCs are counted and the percentage of each type is determined.
Test yourself:
White Blood Cell Differential Quiz