What is the role of anticoagulants in blood collection?

Anticoagulants play a vital role in blood collection primarily by preventing clotting. When blood is drawn from a patient, it has a natural tendency to clot due to the activation of platelets and the intrinsic clotting cascade. If blood clots in a collection vessel, it can impede accurate laboratory testing, result in a loss of valuable samples, and affect downstream analyses.

By using anticoagulants, such as EDTA, citrate, or heparin, the clotting process is inhibited. These substances work by binding to calcium ions or inhibiting various factors in the clotting cascade, ensuring that the blood remains in a liquid state. This is crucial for preserving the integrity of the sample and allowing for reliable laboratory work, including serological tests, blood typing, and other analyses that require a non-clotted specimen.

The other options do not accurately describe the primary function of anticoagulants in blood collection. Increasing blood volume is not a role of anticoagulants, nor are they used to separate cells from plasma; that function is accomplished through centrifugation. While anticoagulants may indirectly enhance blood flow by preventing clot formation, this is not their main purpose; rather, their primary role is to ensure that the blood sample remains usable