Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate Study by Photopyroelectric Technique

Preliminary studies of erythrocyte sedimentation rate in real time, using the inverse photopyroelectric method, are presented. The advantages of this methodology is that the sample is not illuminated directly and that the process can be monitored through the measurement of the thermal contact between a pyroelectric sensor and the blood. The thermal effusivity was determined using a one‐dimensional heat diffusion model, where the pyroelectric sensor is thermally thin and the blood is thermally thick. It was demonstrated that during the process, the thermal effusivity decreases in the region of the contact between the blood and the pyroelectric sensor. The usefulness of these results in real time monitoring using photothermal techniques is discussed.