{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,24]],"date-time":"2026-07-24T22:42:17Z","timestamp":1784932937852,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"18","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,11]],"date-time":"2024-09-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1726012800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diagnostics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) is an easy test used to diagnose and monitor inflammatory and infectious diseases. The aim of this study was the evaluation of the performance of three ESR automated analyzers, VES-MATIC 5, CUBE 30 TOUCH, and MINI-CUBE, involving four Italian polyclinics in Rome, Siena, Como, and Arezzo, as well as inter-site variability assessment to detect possible device-dependent and operator-dependent influences. Methods: Accuracy analysis was carried out by analyzing the same samples with all three instruments and comparing them with the Westergren method. Precision was assessed with quality control material through intra-run and inter-run precision. Repeatability was estimated by reanalyzing fresh blood samples belonging to three ESR ranges (low, intermediate, and high) six times. Results: The results showed a strong correlation (Spearman coefficients R2) between the manual method and VES-MATIC 5 (0.978), CUBE 30 TOUCH (0.981), and MINI-CUBE (0.974). The accuracy of all clinics was excellent, with coefficients of variation (CVs) of less than 10% for all instruments. Repeatability confirmed an excellent level for all ESR ranges, with CVs below 10%. Conclusions: The study proved that all three automated instruments offer optimal performance for accuracy and precision and are suitable for both large and small facilities without influences of the laboratory environment.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/diagnostics14182011","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,11]],"date-time":"2024-09-11T10:33:01Z","timestamp":1726050781000},"page":"2011","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Performance Evaluation of Automated Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) Analyzers in a Multicentric Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6336-814X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Flaminia","family":"Tomassetti","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tor Vergata University Hospital, Viale Oxford 81, 00133 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cinzia","family":"Calabrese","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tor Vergata University Hospital, Viale Oxford 81, 00133 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fabio","family":"Bertani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Pathology and Microbiology Unit, Laboratory Analysis, ASST Lariana, Hospital Sant\u2019Anna, 22100 Como, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michele","family":"Cennamo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Pathology and Microbiology Unit, Laboratory Analysis, ASST Lariana, Hospital Sant\u2019Anna, 22100 Como, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Naples \u201cFederico II\u201d, 80126 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1078-1889","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniela","family":"Diamanti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research and Development Department, DIESSE Diagnostica Senese S.p.A., Monteriggioni, 53035 Siena, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alfredo","family":"Giovannelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tor Vergata University Hospital, Viale Oxford 81, 00133 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Roberto","family":"Guerranti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Pathology Unit, Innovation, Experimentation and Clinical and Translational Research Department, University Hospital of S. Maria alle Scotte of Siena, Viale Mario Bracci 16, 53100 Siena, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Roberto","family":"Leoncini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Pathology Unit, Innovation, Experimentation and Clinical and Translational Research Department, University Hospital of S. Maria alle Scotte of Siena, Viale Mario Bracci 16, 53100 Siena, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2786-0994","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria","family":"Lorubbio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Chemical-Clinical Analysis Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Transfusion, San Donato Hospital, 52100 Arezzo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5287-4250","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Agostino","family":"Ognibene","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Chemical-Clinical Analysis Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Transfusion, San Donato Hospital, 52100 Arezzo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1415-9808","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eleonora","family":"Nicolai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-6028-9739","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Martina","family":"Pelagalli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tor Vergata University Hospital, Viale Oxford 81, 00133 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2997-2922","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carolina","family":"Pieroni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research and Development Department, DIESSE Diagnostica Senese S.p.A., Monteriggioni, 53035 Siena, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sergio","family":"Bernardini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tor Vergata University Hospital, Viale Oxford 81, 00133 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3463-0268","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Massimo","family":"Pieri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tor Vergata University Hospital, Viale Oxford 81, 00133 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"531","DOI":"10.1016\/S0950-3579(05)80114-1","article-title":"Acute Phase Proteins in the Monitoring of Inflammatory Disorders","volume":"8","year":"1994","journal-title":"Bailli\u00e8re\u2019s Clin. 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