title: Complements of the season: the hazards of testing for complement activation.
abstract: As some of the subtleties of the new era of biological testing become appreciated, a few of the more recently introduced tests are starting to cause concern. The evaluation of the ability of a material to activate complement comes into this category. This article explains complement and its activation and attempts to rationalize the need for testing in this complex area.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Engineering Department, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, UK.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D003167:Complement Activation / Q000276:immunology*; D004864:Equipment and Supplies / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005549:Foreign-Body Reaction / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing; D008967:Molecular Biology