Abstract:

Objective To improve a homemade semiautomatic blood slide maker which has been used in pre-clinical test and teaching, to determine its main parameters, and to further assess efficiency. Methods According to the feedbacks of preliminary application,the instrument's software program and a part of mechanical structure were adjusted,and then the intrinsic relationship of working speed,hematocrit （Hct） and slide stage dropping time was determined using blood samples with different Hct values. After improvement,a certain number of blood smears were made by hand and the blood slide maker,and these blood smears' appearance,blood film length,the single layer length of erythrocytes and the degree of erythrocyte dispersion under microscope were compared and analyzed. Results The working speed of blood slide maker was inversely proportional to Hct and slide stage dropping time,and the latter 2 parameters were proportional. Compared with the previous instrument,the efficiency had been significantly improved. The blood smears made by the blood slide maker showed good appearance and appropriate thickness,and the blood film length was longer than that made by hand （P < 0.05）. The single layer length of erythrocytes also showed a significant increase compared with handmade blood smears （P < 0.01）. Under microscope,blood smears made by the blood slide maker also showed uniform dispersion of erythrocytes. In addition,the improved instrument can also produce satisfactory thin blood films for malaria inspection. Conclusions After improvement,the performance was improved by the blood slide maker,and initially versatile advantages were displayed,and thus it is suitable for application.

Key words: Blood slide, Semiautomatic blood slide maker, Slide making efficiency