Abstract
The measurement of plasma viscosity is gaining interest in clinical medicine. In order to define a suitable measuring device, four commercially available instruments were compared: the Coulter Harkness (capillary), the Haake (rolling ball), the Luckham (capillary) and the Rheomed (capillary) viscometer. In terms of reproducibility the Coulter Harkness and the Luckham instruments were best. The Luckham machine offers further advantages in terms of practicability. On the other hand, the Haake instrument is lowest in price, requires the least sample volume and allows repetitive testing. In conclusion, our results suggest, that the Luckham, Coulter and Haake viscometers can be recommended for the measurement of plasma viscosity.
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