Summary
In order to carry out a multicenter study aimed at understanding the association of
hemostatic factors with atherosclerotic vascular disorders for the Atherosclerosis
Risk In Communities (ARIC) Study, we compared a blood collection and processing system
developed in our laboratory with the state-of-the-art- procedures. The salient features
of our system included the use of a new phlebotomy set for venipuncture, the use of
Millipore filters for removing platelet residues in the plasma and the use of a mixture
of anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents for inhibiting the in vitro activation of
platelets, coagulation and fibrinolytic system. The results derived from systematic
evaluations indicate that this newly developed system yields the lowest values of
plasma ßTG, PF 4 and FPA when compared with the reported values. The technique also
gave reliable values of representative hemostatic measurements such as fibrinogen,
factor VII, factor VIII, von Willebrand factor, antithrombin-III, protein C, tissue-
type plasminogen activator, and serum thromboxane B2. Further experiments revealed
that the samples withstood temporary storage at −70° C and overnight “shipping” manipulations
without significant changes in the hemostatic values. We conclude that the described
blood collection and processing system may be a valuable asset for conducting multicenter
cooperative clinical trials and epidemiologic studies involving blood collection by
multiple field centers or clinics.
Key words
Blood collecting system - Blood processing system - Multicenter study
