Conversation: The conversation between human and AI assistant.
[|Human|] Hlo sir,M a intern n thr is a patient in medicine ward wit decreasing platlet counts day by day ve reached 0000 today bt she has jst breathlessness as complaint.... Wit no history suggestive of bleedin disorder.... She in on prophylactic antibiotics.... Peripheral smear results yet to cm.....hw to proceed further sir?,??
[|AI|]  Hello and welcome to Chat Doctor, Absence of bleeding with low platelet counts is unlikely. Look for pre-analytical errors i.e. the collection of blood for platelet counts. Get the platelet counts done on a fresh sample preferably from a finger prick rather than collect it in anti-coagulant. Combine it with manual platelet count on peripheral blood smear. Along with it other platelet indices-PCT and MPV should also be ordered. All these investigations will help to know the platelet count as well as its function.Further, work up will depend on the results of these investigations. Platelet transfusion may be required if the counts are very low (As you have mentioned that your patient is on antibiotics, some antibiotics are known to destroy the platelets. Check out the list of antibiotics which cause immune destruction of the platelets. Thanks and take care Chat Doctor.