2. HemaTechnologies has designed its
automated ESR, or “sed rate,” analyzer, the
ESR Stat Plus, to provide fast, accurate
results with small blood samples. ESR Stat
Plus is valuable resource to physicians who
diagnose and treat autoimmune diseases.

3. Autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and
rheumatoid arthritis, are conditions in which the
body’s immune system attacks healthy cells.
For physicians, arriving at an initial diagnosis
can be difficult, because the patient typically
presents with vague symptoms, such as fever
and pain. One helpful test, called an erythrocyte
sedimentation rate (ESR) measures a patient’s
level of inflammation.

4. Sed rate analysis measures how quickly blood
cells, called erythrocytes, descend to the
bottom of a test tube. Typically, this rate is high
in individuals with autoimmune diseases.
However, sed rate elevation is present in a
number of conditions, so a doctor might order
additional blood work, along with ultrasounds or
X-rays, to rule out other conditions. After
diagnosing an autoimmune disorder, physicians
often monitor a sed rate over time to assess the
patient’s response to treatment.