| abstract |
A method of anti-coagulating a blood, blood plasma or synovial fluid product comprising addition to the product iso-citrate is described. The method may further comprise adjustment of the calcium ion activity of the anti-coagulated product to physiological levels with a soluble calcium salt. Blood, blood plasma or synovial fluid products containing an anti-coagulating amount of anti-coagulant comprising iso-citrate, and optionally citrate, is disclosed. These anti-coagulated products are used for transport and storage of the products and/or for analysis of hemostatic or coagulative properties of the products. Additionally, blood sampling containers comprising isotonic or slightly hypertonic solutions of iso-citrate, and blood sampling containers comprising a solution of 0.1 - 0.5 M iso-citrate in one tenth of the container volume, and optionally an effective amount of calcium chloride resulting in a calcium ion activity of approximately 1 mM, are disclosed. Finally, reagents for analysis of blood, blood plasma or synovial fluid products comprising iso-citrate are described. |