Step 17: Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is the measurement of the rate that RBCs will settle toward the bottom of a vertical tube if the sample is well mixed and the blood is anticoagulated. The ESR is used for diagnosis and treatment of diseases because it is easy to perform, accurate and fairly inexpensive. The ESR is often referred to as the sed rate.
When the body has a disease, the plasma protein (fibrinogen) will be altered which will affect the sedimentation rate. Similarly, the surface of the RBC can be altered by disease and will affect the sedimentation rate.
The sed rate is taken in two ways, by using either the Wintrobe method or the Westergren method.
Wintrobe Method
In order to conduct an ESR test using the Wintrobe method, a venous blood sample is mixed well with an anticoagulant and transferred to a Wintrobe tube. A Wintrobe tube is a thick-walled glass tube with a flat bottom and millimeter marks from 0 to 105.4.
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