Hirudin as an anticoagulant for both haematology and chemistry tests

Hirudin, an extract from the leech, has powerful antithrombin activity affe cting the blood coagulation pathway. We evaluated the usefulness of hirudin in anticoagulating specimens for routine laboratory tests. Results using b lood anticoagulated with hirudin corresponded well with results with blood treated with ethylene-diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) in the complete blood count (CBC), including white blood cells (WBC) differential count and morp hology of blood cells, when CBC was performed within 2 h of blood collectio n. Clinical chemistry results from hirudin-treated samples were similar to results obtained with serum specimens. Thus, hirudin may be a useful antico agulant for emergency laboratory medicine.