Adequacy of platelet counting by automated haematology analyzers: An insight on current methodologies

Madam, in normal haemostasis, the platelets along with blood vessels and coagulation proteins are the key biological components required to arrest bleeding from an injured blood vessel. Platelets are cytoplasmic fragments of megakaryocytes of the bone marrow and have a diameter of 1-3µm with mean platelet volume (MPV) of 2-20 femtoliter (fL). Approximately 70 to 80 % of platelets circulate in the blood, 20 to 30 % are pooled in the spleen. A normal platelet count ranges from 150,000 to 410,000 platelets per microliter of blood.