Comparison of the simple red blood cell adhesiveness/aggregation test with the laser-assisted optical rotational cell analyzer: Red blood cell aggregation in patients with coronary artery disease and a healthy control group.

BACKGROUND: Red blood cell (RBC) aggregation influences blood flow properties, impacts blood microcirculation and consequently oxygen delivery. Different methods are established to determine RBC aggregation: under static conditions (i.e. the RBC adhesiveness/aggregation test (EAAT)) or under shear conditions (i.e. the laser-assisted optical rotational cell analyzer (LORCA)).

OBJECTIVE: Comparison of these two different methods in detecting the RBC aggregation of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and of healthy controls.

METHODS: RBC aggregation was quantified in peripheral venous blood of patients with CAD and healthy controls using EAAT and LORCA.

RESULTS: Both methods detected an increased RBC aggregation in patients with CAD compared to the healthy control group: the ratio of clot-free area to whole area (rCFA) detected with EAAT (15.65 vs. 11.30%), and aggregation index (66.33 vs. 53.90%), shear rate of disaggregation (SDA) (105.59 vs. 69.21 s-1), and upstroke/ttop (0.03 vs. 0.02 au/s) detected with LORCA device were increased, aggregation half time (detected with LORCA) was decreased (2.11 vs. 3.60 s). rCFA (EAAT) correlated with SDA (LORCA).

CONCLUSIONS: Both methods determine an increased RBC aggregation in patients with CAD. However, only one measurement parameter of the LORCA seems to reflect the same RBC aggregation properties as the EAAT.