What is erythrocyte sedimentation rate? The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), which is determined by the Westergren method, measures how quickly red blood cells (RBCs) settle at the bottom of a blood sample tube in millimeters (mm) in one hour. Factors...

In the laboratory, what is the most common reason for you to gather with colleagues to look at and discuss samples or patient results on the screen or in a report? The answers may vary. One of the reasons may...

A 43-year-old woman presented with persistent fever for two months. She had visited different hospitals more than three times, but there was no significant improvement in her symptoms. After being admitted to a top-tier hospital in China, she underwent a...

Nowadays, hematology analyzers are used widely in laboratories to automatically count and differentiate blood cells. Nevertheless, blood morphology examination for the presence of abnormal cells is still the ‘gold standard’ in the routine blood count. Microscopic examination is the most...

Is prophylactic anticoagulant therapy a common treatment for clinicians to deal with thrombotic events in COVID-19? Is there a connection between the eosinophil count and anticoagulation monitoring in COVID-19 patients? Thrombotic events in COVID-19 patients Thrombosis has emerged as an...

As of January 26th, 2021, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected over 100 million people worldwide. Vaccination would help improve the situation in future. However, at this time, identifying patients at highest risk for severe disease is important....

D-dimer in COVID-19 As COVID-19 continues to swipe around the world, rapid diagnosis as well as prognosis and treatment of the COVID-19 patients has become an equally important topic among clinicians. Recently scientists have discovered that COVID-19 has a host...

EDTA-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia (EDTA-PTCP) induced by EDTA anticoagulants is a common laboratory phenomenon. It is caused by in-vitro PLT aggregation and may lead to a low PLT result and, ultimately, misdiagnosis and wrong medical treatment for the patient. In the previous...

Clinical Significance Derived from megakaryocytes, platelets (PLT) are produced and matured in the bone marrow. Besides widely known thrombosis and wound repair, PLT also plays important roles in inflammation, immunity and cancer biology[1]. Normal reference intervals of PLT in peripheral...

When the platelet (PLT) count is extremely low, is platelet transfusion really required? Let’s analyze the following case, which tells us a different answer. Case background A 49-year-old woman went to the emergency department due to transient cognitive disorder. She...