ABSTRACT
Although calcium has a crucial role in hemostasis, hypocalcemia does not give rise to any form of hemorrhagic disorder. Removing calcium from blood
in vitro
by chelating agents such as
ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
(EDTA) and sodium citrate prevents coagulation. This is used to advantage to prevent coagulation occurring in blood for transfusion and laboratory analysis. Citrate-based anticoagulants are used in the preparation of
blood transfusion components
.
