Blood viscosity is an important factor available for diagnosis of the pathophysiologic state of thrombosis and embolism. We devised a new apparatus which consisted of a vacuum syringe and a capillary needle. However, this needle connected to the syringes was a specially-ordered long capillary which was diffecult to obtain. Therefore, we investigated blood viscosity determination using a vacuum syringe with a regular needle and compared to the result in the conventional method. The rheological characteristics in this apparatus was identical with those in the conventional roller type viscometer with high correlation (r=0.97). This results indicates that this apparatus will be useful for clinical application because of easy and rapid determination of blood viscosity.

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It has been reported that normal and abnormal pregnancies are associated with some hemorheological changes, i. e. reduction of whole blood viscosity and red cell filterability in normal pregnancy and increase of whole blood viscosity in preeclampsia. To clarify the relation between such hemorheological changes and hemolysis, carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO) levels measured with spectrophotometry and red cell filterability were studied in normal pregnancy, puerperium and preeclamptic pregnancy. The HbCO levels of 21 normal pregnant women from 20 to 31 weeks of gestation and 27 normal pregnant women from 32 to 35 weeks of gestation were 2.47 ± 2.22% and 2.03 ± 1.29 % (M±SD) respectively, and were significantly higher as compared with nonpregnant one (1.21 ± 0.89 %) (p<0.05). The HbCO level of 36 normal pregnant women in 36 weeks or later of gestation was decreased to 1.72 ± 1.49%. On 3 days after delivery, HbCO was increased to a significant higher level (2.00 ± 0.92 %) as compared with nonpregnant one. In the 6 preeclamptic patients from 32 to 35 weeks of gestation, HbCO (3.24 ±1.67 %) was significantly higher than that of normal pregnant women at same weeks of gestation (P<0.05). There was a significantly inverse correlation between red cell filterability and HbCO, to be given by the correlation coefficient -0.452.

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The dilute suspensions of erythrocytes (RBC=1×10⁵/mm³) with varying numbers of residual leukocytes ([WBC]) were aspirated through 5,u m Nuclepore membrans at a constant flow rate of 0.62 ml /min. As [WBC] increased, the time dependent filtration pressure rose rapidly showing a significant correlation with [WBC], and in case that [WBC] was more than 200/mm³, the scanning electron microscopic observation revealed destroyed leukocytes and bouquet formation of erythrocytes mainly at the confluent pores of filter exit. These results suggest that the estimation of data especially obtained from patients with leukocytosis requires careful consideration and definition of [WBC].

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