Estimating hematocrit using a blood drop sinking time. Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok.

Abstract

Background : This is a study of correlation between a blood hematocrit value and its sinking time in oil to aid doctors in measuring a hematocrit value without the presence of a centrifuge.

Objective : The objective of this project was to provide an alternative way of measuring a hematocrit value. This method should only include materials that can be easily found in our surroundings. Measuring hematocrit is a crucial process that can help diagnose potentially fatal diseases such as dengue hemorrhagic fever. Design Experimental study Setting Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok

Materials and Methods : First, we used three different salt solutions (NaCl with specific gravity of 1.03, 1.04, and 1.05) and dropped them into the refined palm oil to see if there were visible differences in the dropping times. After confirming the validity of the experiment, we proceeded to real samples of blood. We used 23 different blood samples in two separate experiments, varying in volumes (10 μL and 20 μL).

Results : After graphing the data acquired from the experiments, we found that there was a distinct relationship between the two values. The higher the hematocrit value, the less time it took to drop down. In contrast, the lower the hematocrit value, the slower it took to drop down.

Conclusion : The study found that there was a inverse relationship between the hematocrit value and the sinking time of blood. These graphs, tables, and data can be developed to aid doctors in obtaining a hematocrit value in places where a centrifuge is not readily available.