Siemens Hematek, Operating Manual, Page: 35 / 98

Section 3: Operating Instructions, Page 3—5
Load the Blood Smear Slides
BIOHAZARD
Wear personal protective equipment. Use universal precautions. Refer to Appendix A,
page A-1 for recommended precautions when working with biohazardous materials.
1. Prime the platen.
The platen should be primed and wetted with reagents in order to ensure optimal
results on the specimen slides.
2. Mark blank or old blood smear slides as priming slides (for example, label them with
the name
PRIME
).
You can reuse these priming slides
CAUTION
Slides must be inserted into the spiral grooves so they are parallel to the slide loading lines
inscribed on the platen. If slides are not placed correctly in the spiral grooves, breakage
can occur.
3. Load two to four priming slides and allow them to be transported across the platen
ahead of the patient slides.
Figure 3-2. Priming the Platen