The Routine Measurement of Platelet Size Using Sodium Citrate Alone as the Anticoagulant

TL;DRAbstract

Mean platelet volume (MPV), a measure of platelet size, is becoming recognised as an important marker of platelet function. However, platelets swell in edetic acid (EDTA), the standard haematology anticoagulant, in a time-dependent manner making such measurements potentially unreliable. The effect of incubation time on MPV, and platelet distribution width (PDW), as measured in EDTA, low (1:9 volume/volume with blood) or high (1:4 v/v with blood) concentration sodium citrate was studied. MPV measured in high concentration sodium citrate did not change with time in contrast to MPV measured in either low concentration sodium citrate or EDTA which both increased in an inverse exponential fashion. MPV and PDW, measured in high concentration sodium citrate, had similar within-assay and between-assay coefficients of variation as other platelet, red cell and white cell haematology variables measured in EDTA: MPV 1.4%, 2.1%; PDW 1.4%, 1.5%; MCV 0.4%, 0.7%; PC 3.1%, 6.1%; WCC 1.5%, 7.3%; Hb 2.1%

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