Traversing Their Path to the Peripheral Smear: The Journey of Traumatized Red Blood Cells

Background Thrombotic microangiopathy encompasses a wide range of conditions, of which thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura being a medical emergency requires prompt intervention, with schistocytes being a reliable morphological indicator of microvascular injury. However, there are conditions other than thrombotic microangiopathic anemia where schistocytes can be seen in large numbers. These nonthrombotic microangiopathic conditions are broadly grouped under cytoskeletal abnormalities, mechanical damage, and thermal injuries. Automated methods in schistocyte evaluation have shown varied reproducibility requiring manual identification. International Council for Standardization in Hematology (ICSH) recommends standardized morphological criteria and quantitative assessment as a percentage after counting at least 1,000 red blood cells in optimal areas of smear to reduce interobserver variability.