Study of refrigerated storage of blood at 4°C on automated hematological parameters & morphological changes in peripheral blood smear: A prospective study

Abstract

: Complete hemogram & peripheral blood smear are primary tests done in day to day practice for correct diagnosis & further treatment of patients. EDTA blood samples are used for this regular screening tests which shows less stability in case of delaying sampling. Hence, the final results of these tests can be affected by different storage conditions & duration. This present study provides data analyzed from EDTA blood samples stored upto 24 hour at both room temperature & 4°C refrigeration.This study includes total 150 blood samples from indoor & outdoor patient without any specific criteria which were collected randomly. These blood samples were analyzed using haematological analyzer for complete blood count & their peripheral smear after storage in both room temperature & 4°C refrigeration for 24 hrs. There was significant increase in MCV & decrease in MCHC, reduced WBC count & platelet count with storage at room temperature which was prohibited by refrigeration. However, both room temperature & refrigerated storage does not affect RBC count & hemoglobin.Blood samples stored at room temperature for 24 hrs results in changes in haematological parameters & morphology of cells. Hence, refrigerated storage at 4°C is recommended for accurate results in case evaluation of delayed samples.