Anticoagulants and erythrocyte filterability.

Positive-pressure and initial-flow-rate (Hémorhéomètre) filtration systems were used to study the deformability of erythrocytes from whole blood stored in EDTA or heparin. When all contaminating platelets and leucocytes were removed from the erythrocyte suspension there was no significant anticoagulant effect on erythrocyte filtration. Blood may therefore be stored in K2EDTA (1.5 mg/ml blood) or lithium heparin (15 IU/ml blood) for up to 6 hours at room temperature prior to measurement of erythrocyte filterability.