7 April 2021 (Wednesday) - NEQAS 2102BF

I got hold of the results for NEQAS 2102BF today. Here’s what I saw:

2102 BF1

Myelocytes	Ranked 2
Blast cells	Ranked 3
NRBC	Ranked 1
Thrombocytopenia with large platelets	Ranked 6 & 9
Macrocytosis
anisopoikilocytosis
Smear cells

The ranked neutrophilia and monocytosis were evident from the diff count on 2101DF

I felt this was CML – but the stain quality was poor
The report read ““…final diagnosis is not possible but a myelodysplastic / myeloproliferative neoplasm (MDS/MPN) seems likely.“
What’s in a name…?

2102 BF2

Blasts	Ranked 1
Auer rods	Ranked 2
hypochromia
microcytosis
pencil cells	Ranked 9-10
nrbc - polychromasia
Thrombocytopenia with large platelets	Ranked 3

I felt this was a myeloproliferative condition with iron deficiency
The report read “The peripheral blood film 2102BF2 was prepared from a 78-year-old man with a known normal karyotype myelodysplastic syndrome”.
I still maintain that film looked hypochromic and microcytic. Another example of why we should be given the entire Fbc report…

7 April 2021 (Wednesday) - NEQAS 2101DF

I got hold of the results for NEQAS 2101DF today. Whilst my results were OK I suspect I’m perhaps a tad loathe to describe a myeloid cell as being immature. My mature neutrophil coubnts were to the high side, and whilst my myelocyte count is in there, the metamyelocyte count is definitely to the low end. Mind you I identified them as features on the associated morphology exercise…

I shall bear this in mind when reviewing blood films.

	I said	+/- 2SD
Neut	51.3	25.2 – 63.8
Lymph	9.8	0.1 – 14.9
Mono	1.8	0.0 – 12.9
Eos	.3	0.0 – 0.7
Baso	.3	0.0 – 0.7
Met	1.2	0.0 – 24.8
Myelo	11.4	0.0 – 43.2
Pro	0	0.0 – 11.4
Blast	.6	0.0 – 6.4

7 April 2021 (Wednesday) - BTLP-TACT Excercise

Time for another BTLP-TACT exercise. It is nearly a month since I did one…

The software gave me the “spinning wheel of nothing happening” before presenting me with one case – a thirty-seven year old woman in A&E who was over-anticiagulated and required group & save.

She grouped as A Rh(D) Positive with a negative antibody screen.

I got the green light…

5 April 2021 (Monday) - Fritsma Factor Newsletter

The Fritsma Factor newsletter appeared in my in-box this morning. There’s not many on-line resources which focus on haemostasis, and I am grateful for this one.