Quantification of local blood flow characteristics in microfluidic applications
Journal
Series on Biomechanics
Date Issued
2016
Abstract
Advances in microfluidic applications have made it possible to design microsystems in which various processes,
including diagnostics and fundamental research in biofluids, can be performed. In the majority of the studies the
effect of red blood cell aggregation in blood flow characteristics has not received much attention and the
relationship between the local microstructure and local flow characteristics has not been investigated extensively. In
this work local velocity, local aggregation and local hematocrit of human red blood cells (RBC) have been
simultaneously, resolved and quantified in a microchannel. The experimental system involved simple brightfield
microscopy, a pressure driven microfluidic system, and RBCs suspended in Dextran and phosphate buffer saline
solutions to control the aggregation intensity. Local aggregation characteristics were investigated at bulk and local
levels using statistical and edge-detection image processing techniques. Aggregation intensity was found to strongly
correlate with local variations in velocity in both the central and wall regions. The results suggest a combined effect
of haematocrit and velocity distributions on local aggregation characteristics and showed that using multiple
methods for aggregation quantification, could help towards a robust characterisation of the structural properties of
the fluid
including diagnostics and fundamental research in biofluids, can be performed. In the majority of the studies the
effect of red blood cell aggregation in blood flow characteristics has not received much attention and the
relationship between the local microstructure and local flow characteristics has not been investigated extensively. In
this work local velocity, local aggregation and local hematocrit of human red blood cells (RBC) have been
simultaneously, resolved and quantified in a microchannel. The experimental system involved simple brightfield
microscopy, a pressure driven microfluidic system, and RBCs suspended in Dextran and phosphate buffer saline
solutions to control the aggregation intensity. Local aggregation characteristics were investigated at bulk and local
levels using statistical and edge-detection image processing techniques. Aggregation intensity was found to strongly
correlate with local variations in velocity in both the central and wall regions. The results suggest a combined effect
of haematocrit and velocity distributions on local aggregation characteristics and showed that using multiple
methods for aggregation quantification, could help towards a robust characterisation of the structural properties of
the fluid
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