Glossary
Erythrocyte
An erythrocyte is a red blood cell. Erythrocytes are the densest major component of blood and settle to the bottom of the tube first under centrifugation. In PRP preparation they are what you are trying not to draw.
Figure
The red cell layer
Figure. The densest fraction, and the one that sediments first. In a PRP draw it is what you are trying not to pull, which is materially harder when the layers have separated on a slant.
In practice
Red cell contamination in a PRP draw is the most common technique fault, and it is more likely with a fixed-angle rotor because the layers separate on a slant.
See also
- Buffy coatThe buffy coat is the thin layer that forms between the red cells and the plasma after centrifugation.
- PlasmaPlasma is the liquid fraction of blood, roughly fiftyfive percent of its volume, in which the cells are suspended.
- Fixed-angle rotorA fixed-angle rotor holds tubes at a set inclination throughout the spin.