biostudies-literatureUnknown4(10)Moreau ARBCs from critically ill patients have depressed deformability, especially in sepsis. Prolonged exposure of RBCs from healthy volunteers to physiologic shear stress (the preconditioning technique) has been associated with improved deformability, but the effect of preconditioning on RBCs from critically ill patients with or without sepsis has never been studied.<h4>Design</h4>Prospective study.<h4>Setting</h4>A 32-bed medico-surgical ICU and a university-affiliated cell biology laboratory.<h4>Subjects</h4>RBCs from 26 healthy volunteers and 40 critically ill patients (20 with and 20 without sepsis).<h4>Interventions</h4>RBC deformability was measured using the elongation index (EI) with an ektacytometer, at shear stress levels ranging from 0.3 to 50 Pa. To assess the effects of preconditionCritical care explorationse0771https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9524876biostudies-literatureEffects of Preconditioning on RBC Deformability in Critically Ill Patients.PMC9524876Zouaoui Boudjeltia KBiston PPiagnerelli MMoreau AfalseEffects of Preconditioning on RBC Deformability in Critically Ill Patients.RBCs from critically ill patients have depressed deformability, especially in sepsis. Prolonged exposure of RBCs from healthy volunteers to physiologic shear stress (the preconditioning technique) has been associated with improved deformability, but the effect of preconditioning on RBCs from critically ill patients with or without sepsis has never been studied.<h4>Design</h4>Prospective study.<h4>Setting</h4>A 32-bed medico-surgical ICU and a university-affiliated cell biology laboratory.<h4>Subjects</h4>RBCs from 26 healthy volunteers and 40 critically ill patients (20 with and 20 without sepsis).<h4>Interventions</h4>RBC deformability was measured using the elongation index (EI) with an ektacytometer, at shear stress levels ranging from 0.3 to 50 Pa. To assess the effects of precondition2022-01-01T00:00:00Z2022 Oct2025-04-06T17:40:37.463Z2025-04-06T17:40:37.463ZS-EPMC95248763619643410.1097/CCE.0000000000000771