Filterability and vascular disease--II. Red cell filterability after myocardial infarction.

Red cell filterability was measured in 51 patients after proven myocardial infarction. The filterability index (FI) falls to a minimum 7-16 h after the onset of symptoms. This early minimum value is a very good indicator of the patients' subsequent clinical course. The results of three different types of experiments all suggested that the changes in FI were principally due to a change in the plasma secondarily affecting the red cells.