Peripheral smear in severe autoimmune hemolytic anemia

Peripheral blood smear from a patient with Coombs-positive autoimmune hemolytic anemia. The smear shows the presence of many spherocytes (arrowheads), one nucleated red blood cell (dashed arrow), and a number of larger polychromatophilic red cells (arrows), representing a reticulocytosis in response to the anemia.

High-power view of a normal peripheral blood smear. Several platelets (arrowheads) and a normal lymphocyte (arrow) can also be seen. The red cells are of relatively uniform size and shape. The diameter of the normal red cell should approximate that of the nucleus of the small lymphocyte; central pallor (dashed arrow) should equal one-third of its diameter.