Must the spreader angle be decreased or increased if the patient has a high hematocrit?

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Multiple Choice

Must the spreader angle be decreased or increased if the patient has a high hematocrit?

When a patient has a high hematocrit, the blood is more viscous and contains more cells per volume, which tends to make a smear thicker and harder to read. Lowering the spreader angle reduces how aggressively the sample is spread across the slide, producing a thinner, better-formed smear with a clearer feathered edge that allows individual cell morphology to be evaluated. Increasing the angle would make the smear even thicker, and maintaining the angle won’t address the increased cell density.

When a patient has a high hematocrit, the blood is more viscous and contains more cells per volume, which tends to make a smear thicker and harder to read. Lowering the spreader angle reduces how aggressively the sample is spread across the slide, producing a thinner, better-formed smear with a clearer feathered edge that allows individual cell morphology to be evaluated. Increasing the angle would make the smear even thicker, and maintaining the angle won’t address the increased cell density.

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