Colleagues, if you have interesting clinical cases, feel free to suggest them for our group news; we will publish them under your name. My case, this morning: 8:55 AM, end of shift, analyzer platelets 40*10^9/L from venous blood with EDTA. Microscopy revealed platelet aggregation. In such a case, we cannot count the number of platelets; it is necessary to recommend re-collecting the blood, but not in an EDTA tube (purple cap), but now in a citrate tube (blue cap), to exclude EDTA-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia and count the true number of platelets 😊
EDTA-Dependent Pseudothrombocytopenia: Platelet Aggregation
Causes of spurious thrombocytopenia on the analyzer: detection of large platelet aggregates in EDTA blood smear and rules for re-collection in a citrate tube.
