Our unit has a patient who is allergic to both beef and pork heparin, so we will be evaluating the use of citrate for anticoagulation. What is the experience and what literature is available? Thank you.

I have used citrate anticoagulation for immunoadsorption and plasmapheresis. I had a rep visit last week who said the blood cannot clot as the citrate binds with the calcium and prevents clotting from occuring. One obvious problem is that it can lower the patients calcium levels. This is all I know Im afrraid.

Dear Donna:

What product and company was the representative from? Thank you.

She was a rep for the Cobe Spectra