TY  - JOUR
T1  - ARtifacts in peripheral blood films
AU  - Wortman J
Y1  - 1979/02/23
N1  - 10.1001/jama.1979.03290340016014
JO  - JAMA
SP  - 792
EP  - 792
VL  - 241
IS  - 8
N2  - To the Editor.— 
    Microscopic examination of the peripheral blood has long been recognized as an important part in patient evaluation. Useful information can be obtained regarding all of the formed elements of the blood, thus making it fundamental to the hematologic evaluation of any patient.However, artifacts frequently may be present to perplex the examiner. The more common ones may appear in parts of every peripheral blood film.' One seemingly ominous finding involves clusters of immature-appearing cells resembling blastocytes or metastatic tumor cells observed when the blood film is prepared from the first drop of blood from the traditional finger wound.We recently encountered a patient with such a finding. The patient was an elderly man admitted to our facility for control of congestive heart failure. On routine evaluation of his peripheral blood smears, the patient was found to have several distinct clumps of immature-appearing cells (Figure). This finding caused
SN  - 0098-7484
M3  - doi: 10.1001/jama.1979.03290340016014
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.1979.03290340016014
ER  -