24 October 2019 (Thursday) - 1906 DM




I thought I should really have a look at the NEQAS on-line morphology exercise. Usually I’m far more prompt at getting this done.
A poorly man is admitted to the emergency department following a fit at home. The automated counter reveals that he is anaemic with a low platelet count (54x109/l)

As is always the case, the lack of blood count information did not help in  the slightest. Would it really cause the scheme organiser physical pain to give some blood count information?

Mind you I found the red cell link useful – a shame that their acceptable user observations didn’t mesh with this categorisation.


My immediate impression was one of red cell destruction. Red cell fragments, (schistocytes), bite cells (keratocytes), acanthocytes, spherocytes polychromasia, anisopoikilocytosis, target cells and nucleated red cells were evident.

There were metamyelocytes and one particularly odd cell toward the bottom (was it a mitotic figure?)

The platelet count was reduced; there were large platelets there (was that a grey platelet?)

I would say that this was a case of microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia

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