Effects of Anticoagulants Used During Blood Collection on Human Platelet Function

Nearly all the chapters in this book involve some sort of study of platelets (and megakaryocytes) in vitro with a view to gaining insight into the true behaviour of these cells in the circulation. But a word of warning is required. Studies performed in vitro can only approximate the true situation in vivo. If, for example, we choose to study platelets in platelet-rich plasma (PRP), we are studying them in the absence of other blood cells that may well influence the way platelets behave. Even if studies are performed in whole blood, platelets are being studied in the absence of vascular endothelial cells, which contribute to the inhibition of their activity within the vasculature.