Importance of measurement temperature in detecting the alterations of red blood cell aggregation and deformability studied by ektacytometry: A study on experimental sepsis in rats

It is well known that RBC rheological parameters are affected by temperatur e. Usually, the measurement temperature of these parameters is kept constan t throughout a given study, however it can be seen that different temperatu res are used by different groups, during the measurement of a given paramet er. It is assumed that the data should not be qualitatively different when measured at different temperatures, although significant quantitative diffe rences exist. This study revealed that the selected temperature for RBC elo ngation index measurements by ektacytometry is important in detecting a giv en impairment in RBC deformability induced by experimental sepsis. RBC elon gation indexes were found to be significantly different in septic and norma l rats, only if measured at 37 degreesC. The differences in RBC aggregation parameters for septic and normal rats were also affected by the measuremen t temperature, however statistically significant differences were present i n a wider range of temperatures between 25-37 degreesC. Therefore, it is st rongly recommended that the measurement of RBC deformability and aggregatio n be performed using a controlled-temperature device, set to 37 degreesC.