A novel approach for assessments of erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
BACKGROUND
Previous studies have shown that the dispersed phase of sedimenting blood undergoes dramatic structural changes: Discrete red blood cell (RBC) aggregates formed shortly after a settling tube is filled with blood are combined into a continuous network followed by its collapse via the formation of plasma channels, and finally, the collapsed network is dispersed into individual fragments. Based on this scheme of structural transformation, a novel approach for assessments of erythrocyte sedimentation is suggested.


METHODS
Information about erythrocyte sedimentation is extracted from time records of the blood conductivity measured after a dispersion of RBC network into individual fragments.


RESULTS
It was found that the sedimentation velocity of RBC network fragments correlates positively with the intensity of attractive intercellular interactions, whereas no effect of hematocrit (Hct) was observed.


CONCLUSIONS
Thus, unlike Westergren erythrocyte sedimentation rate, sedimentation data obtained by the proposed method do not require correction for Hct.
Faculty of Health Sciences, Experimental Hematology Laboratory, Physiology Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. alexp@bgu.ac.il
A
A
Pribush
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L
Hatskelzon
N
N
Meyerstein
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004903:Erythrocyte Aggregation; D006400:Hematocrit; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis