Peripheral blood findings in microangiopathic hemolytic anemia. DIC is a clinical and laboratory diagnosis, not a morphologic one! Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia is characterized by an increase in: - spherocytes (blue arrow) - schistocytes (red arrow) - non-specific red cell fragments (black arrowhead) - polychromatophilic cells (black arrow) Peripheral smear changes are insensitive for conditions such as disseminated intravascular coagulation and other testing (platelet count, D-dimer, egg) are required for evaluation. - Michael Cascio, M.D. @mjcascio #MAHA #microangiopathic #hemolytic #anemia #Hematology #Pathology #Smear #Microscopy
