An improved filtration rate for measuring red cell deformability
Issue title: New Methods in Biorheology. Proceedings of the International Symposium held in Nancy, France, 17–18 August 1983. A Satellite Symposium of the Fifth International Congress of Biorheology
Affiliations: Departments of Clinical Pharmacology and Dermatology, St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical College, London EC1A 7BE
Abstract: In order to follow the filtration of a red cell suspension with time, the filtration technique described (1) has been modified. The red cell suspension is filtered through a polycarbonate membrane filter (pore diameter 5μm) under gravitational force. The filtrate is collected in a plastic tube connected to an isometric transducer, the output of Which is registered on a chart recorder. The linear part of the curve obtained is used to calculate the slope and the relative filterability (HF) ie the ratio of the rate of flow of the red cell suspension to the rate of flow of the suspending medium. The reproducibility of the technique is demonstrated by a <5% coefficient of variation in one blood sample <5% interobserver variation and a weekly variation from the same donor of <5%. The fast filtration rate of a highly diluted red cell suspension (0.5–1%) may be followed with this technique, taking the first 15 seconds to calculate it. The technique has proved useful in detecting differences in red cell deformability in connective tissue disorders (Scleroderma, Raynaud’s phenomenon) also between stored and freshly prepared red cell suspension and its improvement by drugs (pentoxifylline, dipyridamole).
Keywords: Red cell filterability, filtration technique
DOI: 10.3233/BIR-1984-23S143
Journal: Biorheology, vol. 23, no. s1, pp. 249-253, 1984
