Diagnosis by a leukocyte count
The leukocyte count has various purposes in modern medicine. As an important component of the blood, the number provides information about the patient’s condition. In women and men, the normal value of the leukocyte count per liter of blood is 3,800 to 10,500 cells . Various specimens can be used as counting chambers. Doctors regularly use the so-called Neubauer chamber.
What is the purpose of counting the number of leukocytes
The procedure is the same for the patient and requires extensive knowledge of the doctor responsible. The leukocyte count helps distinguish between a viral and bacterial infection. Based on this, the doctor determines which therapy is suitable for the customer. Among them are:
- homeopathic therapies
- healing process
- antibiotic therapies
Antibiotics do not help against viruses. Natural healing methods come into consideration for people with allergies to chemical drugs and as an experiment. In addition, bacterial infections require precise diagnosis. For this reason, physicians count leukocytes when the medical history is unclear.
How is the counting going?
First, the medical staff in charge extracts capillary blood from the patient. In the past, the leukocyte count was based on one liter of blood. Today, a few pipettes are enough. In addition, the doctors need disposable items to thin the blood.
An end-to-end capillary and a reaction vessel are available. It contains about 400 milliliters of dilution solution. In addition, the medical staff will have a counting chamber, swabs and disposal materials ready. These are particularly important from a hygienic point of view. Due to the blood contact, the laboratory requires a hard box and a disposal bag.
A nurse or the doctor then writes the patient’s name on the reaction vessel. In this way, you avoid confusion. The responsible persons then take the capillary blood. Alternatively, the doctors use so-called EDTA blood. This includes an anticoagulant. Mix the EDTA blood thoroughly before using it for the leukocyte count. The doctor then fills the capillary with blood, free of air. To protect against contamination, staff remove blood on the outside with a sterile swab. No blood escapes from the capillaries.
The end-to-end capillary then enters the waiting dilution vessel. Shake vigorously to get the required mixture. The vessel then stands for at least half a minute. In this way it obtains the optimal degree of mixing for the leukocyte count.
Meanwhile, the staff prepares the counting chamber. Before pouring the mixture into the counting chamber, a responsible person shakes the mixture again. The medical specialist closes the half-full filling capillary with his finger. The filling capillary then comes to the counting chamber. A sufficient amount flows into the chamber and counting begins.
The condenser should be dimmed or in the down position when counting leukocytes. The doctor clamps the chamber in the microscope on the mechanical stage. The lens shows a magnification of one to ten on the specimen plane. The counting is done in L format for each square individually. Those responsible note the individual totals on the respective chamber page.
The physicians note deviations using the mean value of ten percent of the deviation. If the values are less than 70 cells per square, another dilution is carried out. More than 400 leukocytes per large square require greater dilution.
How does the countable solution come about?
The diluting solution consists of what is known as Türck’s solution. This destroys the red blood cells. The remaining solution contains almost exclusively the leukocytes at the visible level. The solution contains colored additives. These color the leukocyte nuclei purple in the mixture.
Which result makes which statement?
Low leukocyte counts after the leukocyte count indicate a viral infection. In the first two to three days after the onset of an infection, high leukocyte counts can be found in both types of infection. With various pathogens, the leukocyte counts are in the normal range regardless of the foreign bodies. After the actual leukocyte count, the staff thoroughly cleans the counting chamber. It requires disinfection as well as sterilization.
The leukocyte count serves essential elements of human medicine. The process takes place within a microscopic process and requires precision. The dilution and exact mixing ensure meaningful ratios.
© Stephanie Eckgold – Fotolia.com
