Determination of erythrocyte sedimentation rate
Apparatus and reagents
- Anticoagulant added blood sample
- Wintrobe's hematocrit
- Stand for Wintrobe's tube
- Pasteur pipette
- Westergren pipette
- Potassium oxalate
- Ammonium oxalate
- 3.8 % sodium citrate solution (anticoagulants)
Principle
If blood containing an anticoagulant is allowed to stand in a tube placed vertically, the red cells settle down gradually to the bottom since their specific gravity (1.093) is greater than that of plasma (1.030). The rate at which the red cells settle is noted.Wintrobe's method
Wintrobe's tube
- It is a short tube open at the top and closed at the bottom.
- There are double graduations i.e., 0-100 mm and 100-0 mm.
Procedure
- Fill the tube with oxalates blood by a Pasteur pipette (as for PCV) bringing the blood column to the zero marks.
- Transfer the tube to the Wintrobe stand for keeping the tube vertical.
- Allow the tube to remain in this position for one hour and take the reading of the clear plasma above the red cells, in milliliters.
- Express the results in mm 1st hour Wintrobe.
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