Stain The Smears - Siemens Hematek Operating Manual

4. Load the patient slides.
Place the properly prepared slides into the grooves of the conveyor spirals with the
blood smear side facing to the left of the operator and the feathered edge of the blood
smear toward the back of the instrument.
Figure 3-3. Loading the Blood Smear Slides

Stain the Smears

As the slides move along the platen, first vertically, then horizontally with the blood smear
side down, the instrument performs the following steps.
1. Three sensing switches are triggered sequentially.
Each switch senses the slide and passes the information to another switch, which
activates its respective solution pump as long as a slide is detected. The solution
pumps meter and deliver the stain, buffer, and then rinse into the capillary space
between the slide and platen.
NOTE:
If the reagents overflow, as opposed to filling the capillary space between the platen and
slide, or if you obtain improper staining results, the reagent pumps may need adjustment.
Refer to Pump Volume Adjustment on page 6-14 for more information.
2. After staining and rinsing have been accomplished, the slide is dried by a flow of air
from a low velocity blower.
3. The slide is delivered into the slide drawer, ready for examination.
NOTE:
If the instrument is accidentally unplugged or there is a power failure during operation, it
may be necessary to remove the slides on the platen and reprocess them.
Page 3—6, Section 3: Operating Instructions