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Blood smear - Risks

Alternative Names

Peripheral smear

What the risks are:

The risks associated with having blood drawn are minimal:

Excessive bleeding
Fainting or feeling light-headed
Blood collecting under the skin (hematoma)
Infection
Many needle sticks to find veins

Special considerations:

The accuracy of this test depends, in part, on the experience of the person looking at the sample. Experienced cell examiners can get a lot of information from the blood smear.

Reviewed last on: 2/13/2009
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Newland J. The peripheral blood smear. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 161.

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