Question

You're preparing a peripheral blood slide from a capillary puncture. What would you do?

A. Pipette blood onto the center of the slide
B. Pipette blood 2.5 cm (1 in) from the end of the slide
C. Touch the slide to the first drop of blood
D. Touch the slide to the second drop of blood

Answer 1

To prepare a peripheral blood slide, you should touch the slide to the second drop of blood to avoid contamination and spread it to create a feathered edge for microscopic examination.

The correct answer is D)Touch the slide to the second drop of blood.

Step-by-step explanation:

To prepare a peripheral blood slide from a capillary puncture, the correct procedure would be touch the slide to the second drop of blood. This method is preferred to avoid contamination with tissue fluids that may be present in the first drop. After wiping away the first drop, bringing the slide to the second drop ensures a cleaner sample for analysis. This preparation requires a thin layer of blood to be spread across a slide to create a so-called feathered edge, which is essential for proper microscopic examination of blood cells.

The correct answer is D)Touch the slide to the second drop of blood.