Argatroban as an anticoagulant for both hematologic and chemical tests

Argatroban possesses strong antithrombin-like activity. We evaluated the usefulness of argatroban in anticoagulating specimens for routine laboratory tests. Results using blood anticoagulated with argatroban corresponded well with the results of blood treated with ethylendiamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) in the complete blood count (CBC), including the WBC differential count and morphology of blood cells, when the CBC was performed within 2 hr of blood collection. Clinical chemistry results from argatroban-treated samples were similar to results obtained with serum specimens. Thus, argatroban may be a useful anticoagulant for emergency laboratory medicine.