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Dynamical clustering of red blood cells in capillary vessels

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Abstract

We have modeled the dynamics of a 3-D system consisting of red blood cells (RBCs), plasma and capillary walls using a discrete-particle approach. The blood cells and capillary walls are composed of a mesh of particles interacting with harmonic forces between nearest neighbors. We employ classical mechanics to mimic the elastic properties of RBCs with a biconcave disk composed of a mesh of spring-like particles. The fluid particle method allows for modeling the plasma as a particle ensemble, where each particle represents a collective unit of fluid, which is defined by its mass, moment of inertia, translational and angular momenta. Realistic behavior of blood cells is modeled by considering RBCs and plasma flowing through capillaries of various shapes. Three types of vessels are employed: a pipe with a choking point, a curved vessel and bifurcating capillaries. There is a strong tendency to produce RBC clusters in capillaries. The choking points and other irregularities in geometry influence both the flow and RBC shapes, considerably increasing the clotting effect. We also discuss other clotting factors coming from the physical properties of blood, such as the viscosity of the plasma and the elasticity of the RBCs. Modeling has been carried out with adequate resolution by using 1 to 10 million particles. Discrete particle simulations open a new pathway for modeling the dynamics of complex, viscoelastic fluids at the microscale, where both liquid and solid phases are treated with discrete particles.

Figure A snapshot from fluid particle simulation of RBCs flowing along a curved capillary. The red color corresponds to the highest velocity. We can observe aggregation of RBCs at places with the most stagnant plasma flow.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Drs Bill Gleason and Dan Kroll for very useful discussions. Support for this work has come from the Polish Committee for Scientific Research (KBN) project 4 T11F 02022, the Complex Fluid Program of U.S. Department of Energy and from AGH Institute of Computer Science internal funds.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. AGH Institute of Computer Science, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059, Kraków, Poland

    Krzysztof Boryczko & Witold Dzwinel

  2. Minnesota Supercomputing Institute, University of Minnesota, MN, 55455, USA

    David A.Yuen

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  1. Krzysztof Boryczko
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  2. Witold Dzwinel
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  3. David A.Yuen
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Correspondence to David A.Yuen.

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Boryczko, K., Dzwinel, W. & A.Yuen, D. Dynamical clustering of red blood cells in capillary vessels. J Mol Model 9, 16–33 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00894-002-0105-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00894-002-0105-x

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