Abstract
Various combinations of temperature have been used for freezing, storage and thawing in order to assess their effect on sputum viscosity estimated with the Ferranti–Shirley viscometer. The temperature of thawing was found not to be critical and so rapid thawing at 25°C was preferred. Degradation was prevented by (i) rapid freezing in liquid nitrogen and storage at −13°C or below, (ii) both freezing and storage at −70°C. This was found for mucoid, mucopurulent and purulent sputum specimens from patients with chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, asthma and cystic fibrosis.
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