What is a blood smear?
A blood smear is a sample of blood that's tested on a specially treated slide. For a blood smear test, a laboratory professional examines the slide under a microscope and looks at the size, shape, and number of different types of blood cells. These include:
Red blood cells, which carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body
White blood cells, which fight infection
Platelets, which help your blood to clot
Many blood tests use computers to analyze results. For a blood smear, the lab professional looks for blood cell problems that may not be seen on a computer analysis.
Other names: peripheral smear, peripheral blood film, smear, blood film, manual differential, differential slide, blood cell morphology, blood smear analysis
