Hematology Is The Study Of Disease Of The Blood And Bone Marrow. However, This Subspecialty Of Internal Medicine Is Not Confined With Only These Two Areas Of The Human Body, But Also Concerns Itself With The Organs And Tissues Which Employ Blood Cells As Principal Effectors Of Their Physiologic Functions. These Organs And Tissues Include The Lymph Nodes, Thymus, Spleen, And The Many Foci Of Lymphoid Tissue Found Along The Aerodigestive Tract. In Order To Begin The Evaluation Etiology, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prognosis, And Prevention Of Blood Diseases, One Of The First Things That A Hematologist (a Subspecialist In Hematology) Will Rely On Various Hematology Tests, Most Popular Of Which Is The Complete Blood Count (CBC) Or The Hematology Panel (profile).To Assess A Patients Overall Health, A Hematologist Will Often Request A Hematology Panel. It Is A Long-standing Platform Of Test Of The Clinical Laboratory That Gives Information About The Cells In A Patients Blood. There Are Two Basic Types Of Hematology Panels Used By Hematologists. These Are The Automated Blood Count And The Manual Blood Count. Read Below For The Methodology Of Each.Automated Blood CountIn The Automated Hematology Panel, Blood Is Usually Taken Into An EDTA Tube To Stop It From Clotting. After Mixing The Blood (not Shaken), It Is Then Put Through A Machine, Called An Automated Analyzer, Which Counts The Numbers And Types Of Different Cells Within The Blood. The Results Are Then Printed Out Andor Sent To A Computer.How Exactly The Machine Works Is Done Through A Specialized Narrow Tubing That Sucks Out A Standard Amount Of Blood Sample Into The Machine. This Tubing Actually Contains Sensors That Can Detect Blood Cells At A Microscopic Level And Specify Their Types As They Go Through The Passage. Conducting Hematology Panels Requires Preciseness In The Results. Because The Automated Machine Is Able To Automatically Detect The Blood Cells In A Sample And Determine The Type, It Gives Very Precise Estimates. Manual Blood CountHematology Panels Taken Through Manual Blood Count Involves The Use Of Counting Chambers That Hold A Specified Volume Of Diluted Blood. As To Why The Blood Is Diluted, The Reason Is That There Would Be Far Too Many Cells In The Sample That Their Sheer Number May Cause Some Problems With The Hematology Panel Results. The Counting Chambers Calculate The Number Of Red And White Cells Per Litre Of Blood By Making A Blood Film Wherein A Large Number Of White Cells (at Least 100) Are Counted. This Gives The Lab Technician Operating The Machine A Percentage Of Cells That Are Of Each Type. Multiply This Percentage With The Total Number Of White Blood Cells, The Hematology Panel Results Will Show An Estimate Of The Absolute Number Of Each Type Of White Cells.
