Abstract

Westergren method is the reference method to measure Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) by the International Council for Standardization in Haematology. But for neonate and small children it is very tough to collect 1.6 ml blood in a syringe. Because the veins of neonates and small babies are very thin and most of the time blood stops comming out due to displacement of needle. Again it is very tough to mix this blood with 3.8% sodium citrate in a FIXED ratio of 1:4. In this method very small (approximate) amount of blood is taken in AK2EDTA tube. There is no need to mix the blood with sodium citrate The results obtained using capillary micro esr showed a good correlation with those obtained using the Westergren method.  Supporting the hypothesis that capillary micro esroffersa fast and safe ESR determination with very little amount of blood, ensuring precision and a very good correlation with the reference method.

Keywords: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; capillary micro esr; paediatric patient; Westergren method.