Standards for rejection of blood donors: a comparison of CuSO4 specific gravity, microhematocrit and electronic hematocrit values with hemoglobin values by the cyanmethemoglobin technic.

Abstract

The following tests were performed simultaneously on finger puncture blood from 200 blood donors: specific gravity by the copper sulfate screening technic, hemoglobin by the cyanmethemoglobin method, and hematocrit by the microhematocrit and also by a new electronic device.The electronic hematocrit provides a simple and rapid technic for estimating the hematocrit, and correlated well with the microhematocrit. Neither technic correlated as closely with cyanmethemoglobin values as did the copper sulfate test. Since current standards for blood donor acceptance are based on hemoglobin levels (and in view of its simplicity), the copper sulfate technic remains the method of choice for screening donors. This can be supplemented in borderline cases by a cyanmethemoglobin determination. The electronic hematocrit could be a useful device to supplement the copper sulfate test in situations where accurate hemoglobin determinations are not available.