Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Simplified analysis method of cell-free layers in blood flows as tool for the optimization of gas exchange devices

  • Research Paper
  • Published:
Microfluidics and Nanofluidics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A novel analyzing method is presented, which allows precise characterization of cell-free layers (CFLs) of blood flowing through microchannels. The CFL occurs due to axial migration of the erythrocytes (RBCs). A confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) is used to detect the reflected light of channel walls and cells within the blood flow. Since the presented method does not depend on emitted fluorescence signals, there is no necessity for a complex sample preparation as fluorescence marking of cells. Furthermore, it allows the characterization of the thickness of the CFL in whole blood. Due to the high vertical resolution of the used CLSM, the developed characterization method enables measurements along the optical axis of the microscope. It is exemplarily used to analyze the thickness of the CFL in human blood flowing through microchannels as a function of the hematocrit and blood flow velocity. The microchannels are made of silicone rubber with a height of 100 µm. The microchannels are intended for a gas exchange application.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Campbell NA, Reece JB (2002) Biology, 6th edn. Benjamin Cummings, San Francisco

    Google Scholar 

  • Cerdeira T, Lima R, Oliveira M, Monteiro FC, Ishikawa T, Imai Y, Yamaguchi T (2009) Determination of the cell-free layer in circular PDMS microchannels. ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Computational Vision and Medical Image Processing, Porto, Portugal

  • Fahraeus R, Lindqvist T (1931) The viscosity of the blood in narrow capillary tubes. Am J Physiol Leg Content 96(3):562–568. doi:10.1161/01.RES.22.1.28

    Google Scholar 

  • Feng J, Hu HH, Joseph DD (1994) Direct simulation of initial value problems for the motion of solid bodies in a Newtonian fluid. Part 1. Sedimentation. J Fluid Mech 261(1):95. doi:10.1017/S0022112094000285

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia V, Dias RP, Lima R (2012) In vitro blood flow behaviour in microchannels with simple and complex geometries. In: Naik GR (ed) Applied biological engineering. Principles and practice. InTech, Rijeka, pp 393–416

    Google Scholar 

  • Karnis A, Goldsmith HL, Mason SG (1966) The flow of suspensions through tubes: V. Inertial effects. Can J Chem Eng 44(4):181–193. doi:10.1002/cjce.5450440401

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lima R, Wada S, Tanaka S, Takeda M, Ishikawa T, Tsubota K, Imai Y, Yamaguchi T (2008) In vitro blood flow in a rectangular PDMS microchannel: experimental observations using a confocal micro-PIV system. Biomed Microdevices 10(2):153–167. doi:10.1007/s10544-007-9121-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lima R, Oliveira MS, Ishikawa T, Kaji H, Tanaka S, Nishizawa M, Yamaguchi T (2009) Axisymmetric polydimethysiloxane microchannels for in vitro hemodynamic studies. Biofabrication 1(3):35005. doi:10.1088/1758-5082/1/3/035005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park CW, Shin SH, Kim GM, Jang JH, Gu YH (2006) A hemodynamic study on a marginal cell depletion layer of blood flow inside a microchannel. KEM 326–328:863–866. doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.326-328.863

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rieper T, Wehrstein B, Maurer AN, Mueller C, Reinecke H (2012a) Evaluation model of an extracorporeal gas exchange device made of silicone rubber. Biomed Tech/Biomed Eng 57:1109–1112. doi:10.1515/bmt-2012-4191

    Google Scholar 

  • Rieper T, Mueller C, Wehrstein B, Maurer AN, Reinecke H (2012a) Virtually monolithic device for diffusive mass transfer enabling high volume flow. In: Proceedings of The Sixteenth International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences (µTAS 2012)

  • Rieper T, Cvancara P, Gast, Sophie, Wehrstein, Bettina, Maurer, Andreas N., Mueller, Class, Reinecke, Holger (2013) An artificial lung based on gas exchange and blood flow optimization. In: Zengerle R (ed) Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences, pp 1188–1190

  • Segré G, Silberberg A (1962) Behaviour of macroscopic rigid spheres in Poiseuille flow. Part 2 Experimental results and interpretation. J Fluid Mech 14(01):136–157

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tilly de A, Sousa de JM, Willaime H, Pinto JF, Duate Silve OM, Bettencourt Moreira Silva I, Carrapico B, Semiao V (2010) Non-Newtonian micellar microflow visualization in a contraction Geometry. In: Proceedings of the 2nd European Conference on Microfluidics, μFlu’10, Toulouse, France, 08–10 December 2010

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank the Life Imaging Center (LIC) of the University Freiburg, especially Dr. Roland Nitschke and Dr. Angela Naumann, for facilitating the measurements.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Process Technology, Department of Microsystems Engineering - IMTEK, University of Freiburg, Georges-Koehler-Allee 103, 79110, Freiburg, Germany

    Tina Rieper, Paul Čvančara, Claas Müller & Holger Reinecke

Authors
  1. Tina Rieper
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Paul Čvančara
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Claas Müller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Holger Reinecke
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tina Rieper.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rieper, T., Čvančara, P., Müller, C. et al. Simplified analysis method of cell-free layers in blood flows as tool for the optimization of gas exchange devices. Microfluid Nanofluid 17, 1071–1078 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-014-1389-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-014-1389-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation