Materials Required for Unopette Procedure

As we said earlier, the red cell count is used in the diagnosis of many diseases. For example, a red cell count that drops below normal values may indicate anemia and leukemia. On the other hand, a red cell count that rises above the normal values may indicate dehydration. The Unopette® Method is used to manually count red blood cells. Material requirements and the step-by-step procedures for performing this procedure are provided in the following sections. Materials Required for Unopette Procedure The Unopette procedure consists of a disposable diluting pipette system that provides a convenient, precise, and accurate method for obtaining a red blood cell count. To perform a red blood cell count using the Unopette method, you will need to obtain the following materials: · A disposable Unopette (see fig. 7-8) for RBC counts. The Unopette consists of —a shielded capillary pipette (10 microliter (Fl) capacity), and —a plastic reservoir containing a premeasured volume of diluent (1:200 dilution). · Hemacytometer and coverglass · Microscope with light source · Hand-held counter · Laboratory chit Unopette Procedure The Unopette procedure for counting red blood cells is as follows: 1. Puncture the diaphragm in the neck of the diluent reservoir with the tip of the capillary shield on the capillary pipette. See figure 7-9. 2. After obtaining free-flowing blood from a lancet puncture of the finger, remove the protective plastic shield from the capillary pipette. Holding the capillary pipette slightly above the horizontal, touch the tip to the blood source (see fig. 7-10, view A). The pipette will 7-11 3mm 1mm HM3f0707 Figure 7-7.—Improved Neubauer Ruling. CAPILLARY PIPETTE SHIELD CAPILLARY PIPETTE PLASTIC RESERVOIR WITH DILUENT HM3f0708 Figure 7-8.—Unopette® for RBC count.