Asked by: Charlotte Vida
Asked in category: medical health, medical tests
Last Updated: 28th Apr 2024

How can you make thick blood smears?

Thick Smears are made up of a thick layer dehemoglobinized (lysed), red blood cell (RBCs)
Thick smears
  1. A drop of blood should be placed in the middle of the labeled, pre-cleaned slide.
  2. Spread the drop using an applicator stick or a corner of another slide until it is approximately the same size as a dime (1.5cm2).



Another question that might be asked is "What makes thick blood smear?"

A thick blood smear refers to a drop of blood on glass slides. Thick Blood Smears can be used to detect parasites because they look at a larger amount of blood. A thin blood smear refers to a small amount of blood spread over a large surface of the slide.

How does alcohol fix blood smears? To fix a blood smear, you can dip in absolute methanol for 30 seconds or ethanol for 60 seconds.

A thicker blood smear is considered to be more sensitive than a thinner blood smear.

Thicker blood smears detect malaria parasites more easily because they are more sensitive. Thin smears are helpful in the identification and quantification of parasite species.

What happens to a blood sample if it becomes too thick?

Smears that have not been dried properly (or smears too thick) may cause slides to become loose during staining. This risk is higher in smears with anticoagulated blood. Drying at room temperature can take many hours. The minimum time is 30 minutes. In the latter case, be careful when staining.