Anticoagulants used for hematological investigations are ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA), heparin, double oxalate, and trisodium citrate (Table 791.1). Table 791.1 Salient features of three main anticoagulants used in the hematology laboratory Ethylene Diamine Tetra-acetic Acid (EDTA) This is also called as Sequestrene or Versene. This is the recommended anticoagulant for routine hematological investigations. However, it cannot be used for coagulation studies. Disodium and dipotassium salts of EDTA are in common use. International Committee for Standardization in Hematology recommends dipotassium EDTA since it is more soluble. It is used in a concentration of 1.5 mg/ml of blood. Dried form of anticoagulant is used as it avoids dilution of sample. Its mechanism of action is chelation of calcium. Proportion of anticoagulant to blood should be maintained. EDTA in excess of 2mg/ml causes shrinkage of and degenerative changes in red and white blood cells, decrease in hematocrit, and increase in mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration. Excess EDTA also causess welling and fragmentation of platelets, which leads to erroneously high platelet counts. Prolonged storage of blood in EDTA anticoagulant leads to alterations as shown in Figure 791.1 and Box 791.1. EDTA is used for estimation of hemoglobin, hematocrit, cell counts, making blood films, sickling test, reticulocyte count, and hemoglobin electrophoresis. Preparation Dipotassium EDTA 20 gm Distilled water 200 ml Mix to dissolve. Place 0.04 ml of this solution in a bottle for 2.5 ml of blood. Anticoagulant should be dried on a warm bench or in an incubator at 37°C before use. For routine hematological investigations, 2-3 ml of EDTA blood is required. Figure 791.1 Changes in blood cell morphology (crenation of red cells, separation of nuclear lobes of neutrophil, vacuoles in cytoplasm, and irregular lobulation of monocyte and lymphocyte nuclei) due to storage of blood in EDTA anticoagulant for prolonged time Heparin Heparin prevents coagulation by enhancing the activity of anti-thrombin III (AT III). AT III inhibits thrombin and some other coagulation factors. It is used in the proportion of 15-20 IU/ ml of blood. Sodium, lithium, or ammonium salt of heparin is used. Heparin should not be used for total leukocyte count (since it causes leukocyte clumping) and for making of blood films (since it imparts a blue background). It is used for osmotic fragility test (since it does not alter the size of cells) and for immunophenotyping. Double Oxalate (Wintrobe Mixture) This consists of ammonium oxalate and potassium oxalate in 3:2 proportion. This combination is used to balance the swelling of red cells caused by ammonium oxalate and shrinkage caused by potassium oxalate. Mechanism of anticoagulant action is removal of calcium. It is used for routine hematological tests and for estimation of erythrocyte sedimentation rate by Wintrobe method. As it causes crenation of red cells and morphologic alteration in white blood cells, it cannot be used for making of blood films. Preparation Ammonium oxalate 1.2 gm Potassium oxalate 0.8 gm Distilled water upto 100 ml Place 0.5 ml of this solution in a bottle for 5 ml of blood. Anticoagulant should be dried in an incubator at 37°C or on a warm bench before use. Trisodium Citrate (3.2%) This is the anticoagulant of choice for coagulation studies and for estimation of erythrocyte sedimentation rate by Westergren method. Preparation Trisodium citrate 3.2 gm Distilled water upto 100 ml Mix well to dissolve. Store in a refrigerator at 2-8°C. Use 1:9 (anticoagulant: blood) proportion for coagulation studies; for ESR, 1:4 proportion is recommended. ESR should be measured within 4 hours of collection of blood, while coagulation studies should be performed within 2 hours. Further Reading: OTHER TUBES FOR COLLECTION OF BLOOD SEQUENCE OF FILLING OF TUBES USE OF PLASMA VS. SERUM