Effect of prewarming EDTA blood samples to 37°C on platelet count measured by Sysmex XT-2000iV in dogs, cats, and horses.

The research observes the effects of prewarming blood samples to a temperature of 37°C on platelet count in dogs, cats, and horses. It is indicated that elevating the temperature of the samples significantly increased platelet count without affecting other blood analysis variables.

Research Objective

• The primary objective of this study was to investigate the outcomes of prewarming Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) blood samples to a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius on measured platelet counts and other key hematologic variables. The research was driven by the documented occurrence of pseudothrombocytopenia, a condition characterized by falsely reduced platelet count primarily due to platelet clumping, commonly encountered in veterinary medicine.

Research Method

• Blood samples were collected from an array of animals; 39 dogs, 19 cats, and 10 horses, which were submitted to the clinical pathology lab at the University of Cambridge. The samples went through a complete blood cell count conducted using a Sysmex XT-2000iV hematology analyzer, both in their original state and after warming them to 37°C in a water bath.
• The researchers employed the Wilcoxon signed rank test to compare significant hematologic variables inclusive of platelet count, before and after prewarming the samples to 37°C.

Research Findings

• The study results highlight that warming of the blood samples to 37°C led to a significant elevation in platelet counts in dogs, cats, and horses. The increases were statistically documented in specifics of the different species.
• Interestingly, this warming process did not have substantial influence on other hematologic variables, implying specificity of the effect to platelets count.
• Despite the increase in platelets count, the study reports, the warming process did not entirely eliminate instances of platelet clumping and pseudothrombocytopenia. Additionally, authentic pseudothrombocytopenia was not confirmed in these animals.

Conclusions

• The research concludes that the process of prewarming EDTA blood samples to 37°C can increase the platelets count in canine, feline, and equine blood. However, it does not fully eradicate cases of platelet clumping and pseudothrombocytopenia, and there seems to be no confirmation of true pseudothrombocytopenia in these animals.