Abstract
A study was made of citrated blood preserved for transfusion purposes. Two 500 cc quantities of blood were collected from apparently healthy donors under aseptic conditions. In each instance, 50 cc of a 2.5% solution of sodium citrate were used to prevent coagulation, bringing each specimen to a total of 550 cc of the blood-citrate mixture, approximately a 9% dilution of the blood. 1 The blood was stored in sealed flasks at a temperature of 4°C. 2 On the days the tests were made, the flasks were removed from the refrigerator, agitated for 3-4 minutes, the required amount of blood withdrawn, and the flasks sealed and returned to the refrigerator.
Over a period of 29-36 days determinations were made of: the plasma proteins using modified micro-Kjeldahl methods; red blood cell fragility; the sedimentation rate of the red blood cells using the Wintrobe tube; the hematocrit value; the total erythrocyte count; the hemoglobin (Newcomer); and the total leucocyte count. The results of these studies are given in Tables I and II. Cultures of the blood at the end of the second and fourth weeks were sterile. Although only 2 specimens of blood were studied, the findings paralleled each other.
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