Abstract
An evaluation has been made of the Contraves LS 30, Haake CV 100, and Wells-Brookfield viscometers. The value of the Contraves system for blood viscosity measurements at shear rates below 1 s−l has been confirmed, but red cell settling and the method used for haematocrit correction were found to be important technical variables. Use of a guard ring was not beneficial. This study has demonstrated a number of technical factors that must be carefully standardised to allow inter-departmental comparability of viscosity measurements at low-shear rates in clinical studies.
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