The hematocrit-erythrocyte-disaggregation-apparatus (HEDA)

We have developed a device for the determination of the minimum shear force necessary to maintain complete disaggregation of erythrocytes and to simultaneously determine the hematocrit of blood samples (red cells in autologous plasma). A functional relationship between this shear force and the hematocrit was determined. The first derivative of the (measured) gamma Tmin as a function of the hematocrit was found to be identical (within limits) for all normal blood samples tested.