Evaluation of the Vision C erythrocyte sedimentation rate analyzer

Evaluation of the Vision C erythrocyte sedimentation rate analyzer E rythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is a traditional laboratory test that has been used for many years to evaluate the presence of inflammation. According to the classic definition, ESR is the measurement of the vertical fall (in millimeters) of the red blood cells in plasma in a tube over a 1-hour period. The ESR increases in many different conditions, such as inflammation, infection, tissue damage, autoimmune diseases, and malignancy [1]. The ESR value is commonly used in the diagnosis of rheumatological diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, temporal arteritis, and polymyalgia rheumatica [2-4], in the follow-up of orthopedic infections [5], and as a prognostic factor for Hodgkin lymphoma [6]. The Westergren ESR measurement method was developed by Dr. Alf Vilhelm Albertsson Westergren in 1921 [7]. It uses the whole blood sample diluted with citrate, and was accepted as the reference ESR measurement method by the International Council for Standardization in Haematology (ICSH) in 1973 [8]. This method is still the ICSH reference ESR measurement method [9] and standard used in the H02-A5/Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate Measurement Procedures published by the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) [10]. In the last 20 years, new instruments have been developed that use different ESR methods. The current ESR measurement methods have been divided into 3 categories by the Objectives: