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Irregular Changes in the Structure of Flowing Blood at Low Flow Conditions

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Abstract

The structural organization of the dispersed phase of blood was studied by measuring the conductance (G) and the capacitance (C) of red blood cell (RBC) suspensions flowing in a vertical channel. Steady-state C and G signals exhibit erratic fluctuations around mean values; the root mean square of the fluctuating signals decreases rapidly as the average flow rate (<υ>) increases from 0.21 to ~4.17 mm/s and then less rapidly at higher velocities. The intensity of oscillations is substantially reduced for suspensions with weaker aggregating media. Analysis of the fluctuations performed in the framework of the equivalent electrical circuits for flowing blood gives rise to the following conclusions: (1) Instantaneous hematocrit (Hct) and velocity cross-stream profiles are non-smooth functions of radial position. (2) Oscillations of conductance at low flow conditions reflect irregular changes in the RBC network structure caused by fluctuations of aggregation-disaggregation equilibrium in the non-uniform shear field. (3) A transformation of the rheological behavior of RBC suspensions from shear-thinning to shear-thickening in a low flow regime amplifies fluctuations of aggregation–disaggregation equilibrium.

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Abbreviations

C :

The capacitance

G :

The conductance

f :

The frequency of the electrical field

Hct:

The volume fraction of erythrocytes termed hematocrit

Hctf :

The feed Hct

Hctcore and Hctc :

The core Hct and hematocrit at the centerline

\( {\text{Hct}}_{\text{core}}^{\max } \) and \( {\text{Hct}}_{\text{c}}^{\max } \) :

The maximal possible Hct in the central flow region and at the centerline

Hct(x, y):

The two-dimensional Hct distribution function

L :

The length of the monitored blood flow

l m :

The characteristic thickness of the cell-depleted marginal layer

r :

The distance from the centerline of flow

R l and R core :

The electrical resistances of the marginal layer and the Hct core

w ch :

The width of the flow channel

σ :

The conductivity

σ(x, y):

The two-dimensional σ distribution function

υ:

The flow rate

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grants from the Israel Science Foundation (ISF) and from the United States-Israel Science Foundation (BSF).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Experimental Hematology Laboratory, Physiology Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 84105, Israel

    Alexander Pribush & Naomi Meyerstein

  2. Chemistry Department, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel

    Alexander Pribush & Dan Meyerstein

  3. Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Herbert J. Meiselman

  4. Biological Chemistry Department, The Ariel University Center of Samaria, Ariel, Israel

    Dan Meyerstein

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  1. Alexander Pribush
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  2. Herbert J. Meiselman
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  4. Naomi Meyerstein
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Correspondence to Alexander Pribush.

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Pribush, A., Meiselman, H.J., Meyerstein, D. et al. Irregular Changes in the Structure of Flowing Blood at Low Flow Conditions. Ann Biomed Eng 37, 2488–2496 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-009-9800-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-009-9800-4

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