The ESR Stat Plus and ESR Stat 6 sed rate instruments provide hospital labs and clinics with quick, accurate results. Designed and sold by HemaTechnologies, the ESR Stat Plus is capable of analyzing three EDTA blood samples within five minutes and printing the results. The ESR Stat 6 can run up to six samples in five minutes, transmitting results to an LIS.
A sedimentation rate, or sed rate, blood test analyzes how quickly red blood cells fall to the bottom of a test tube to determine whether there is inflammation in the body. When the body becomes inflamed, proteins are created in the blood that cause the cells to descend faster than normal.
For most people, normal sed rates hover at about 0-15 millimeters per hour for men under the age of 50. This amount increases to 0-20 milliliters for men over 50. Meanwhile, normal rates for women are 0-20 milliliters per hour and 0-30 milliliters per hour for women under and over 50, respectively. Children and newborns have significantly lower normal sed rates. Rates should be 0-10 milliliters per hour for kids and 0-2 for newborns.
Anything above those normal rates suggest there is inflammation in the body. This inflammation may be caused by a huge range of conditions, including chronic kidney disease, Graves’ disease, skin or bone infections, and polymyalgia rheumatica, a condition that inflames the joints. Autoimmune diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, are also responsible for high sed rates in people.
Meanwhile, sed rates that fall below the normal levels also indicate potential problems within patients. High blood sugar levels and severe liver disease are just some of the causes of low sed values. Other causes include sickle cell disease and polycythemia, a condition that increases red blood cell production in the bone marrow.
