Application of flow-through cytochemistry utilizing the Technicon AutoSlide.

A fully automated procedure is described for combined stains of reticulocytes and other blood cells on whole blood smears. For this study, the Technicon AutoSlide, a device designed to operate synchronously with Technicon D/90 or H6000 systems to produce whole blood smears suitable for microscopic examination at the rate of 90 slides/hour, was utilized. Whole blood was mixed for 5 min with a new methylene blue solution in four mixing coils, smeared, and stained with Wright's stain. Preparations were mounted with an acrylic monomer that preserved stained smears indefinitely. The fully automated procedure is rapid standardized, and particularly suitable for use in large hematology laboratories.