Estimation of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate of capillary blood; description of a new method.

Venous blood is necessary for the estimation of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (E.S.R.) by the methods of Westergren (1921) and Wintrobe and Landsberg (1935), but venepuncture may occasionally prove difficult or impossible, owing to such factors as inadequate veins, obesity, and flexion deformities. A search was therefore undertaken for a reliable method of estimating the E.S.R. using capillary blood. The consensus of opinion (Nichols, 1942) is that under similar conditions the erythrocyte sedimentation rates of capillary and venous blood are comparable.