Abstract
This study shows the capability of a pulsed photoacoustic (PA) technique to measure red blood cell sedimentation and aggregation processes in vitro . Red blood cells are the main source of absorption in blood. The PA signal is proportional to the sample’s optical absorption coefficient, and hence, dynamic changes in the sample can be monitored by analyzing the PA pulse amplitude and pulse arrival time. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is used as a parallel method for comparison. Diluted whole blood and different concentrations of washed red blood cells were used as samples. The pulsed PA technique is suitable for monitoring changes in sedimentation velocity when dextran is added to the sample. When the measurement section with the fastest sedimentation rate was selected for analysis, a more than 10-fold increase in the sedimentation rate, induced by dextran, was found with both the PA and OCT techniques. The PA pulse delay was found to be a more reliable measure of changes in the sample than the PA signal amplitude.
Highlights
Red blood cell sedimentation velocity, called erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), is an indicator in clinical diagnosis and an auxiliary method for indicating possible underlying disease [1,2,3,4]
There are variations in the ESR values of healthy controls [6] and the ESR value may be affected by several factors in different diseases [7]
ESR measurement is still used as a test to screen and monitor disease processes that affect plasma proteins and the ESR value [8]
Summary
Red blood cell sedimentation velocity, called erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), is an indicator in clinical diagnosis and an auxiliary method for indicating possible underlying disease [1,2,3,4]. The initial method for measuring ESR in test tubes was described by Westergren [5]. There are variations in the ESR values of healthy controls [6] and the ESR value may be affected by several factors in different diseases [7]. ESR measurement is still used as a test to screen and monitor disease processes that affect plasma proteins and the ESR value [8]. The RBC aggregation process can be altered in the case of a disease compared with healthy controls [9], which affects the ESR value
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
