Drag reducing polymers improve tissue perfusion via modification of the RBC traffic in microvessels
1McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Biorheology
|September 2, 2009
Summary
Drag-reducing polymers (DRP) in blood create microfluidic changes, improving red blood cell distribution and potentially enhancing tissue perfusion. These findings explain DRP’s benefits in circulation and tissue oxygenation.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Fluid Dynamics
- Hematology
Background:
- Drag-reducing polymers (DRP) show beneficial effects on tissue perfusion.
- The microcirculatory mechanisms underlying these effects are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the microfluidic phenomena induced by DRP in blood flow.
- To elucidate how DRP affects red blood cell (RBC) behavior in microchannels.
- To explain the physiological basis for DRP's beneficial effects on hemodynamics and tissue perfusion.
Main Methods:
- Utilized microfluidic systems to observe blood flow with DRP additives.
- Analyzed changes in red blood cell (RBC) traffic and the near-wall cell-free layer.
- Examined effects on plasma skimming at bifurcations and flow separation at expansions.
Main Results:
- DRP significantly altered RBC traffic into microchannel branches.
- Reduced the near-wall cell-free layer, attenuating plasma skimming.
- Decreased flow separations at microchannel expansions, eliminating plasma recirculation zones.
- Potentially increased RBC concentration at the vessel wall and capillary hematocrit.
Conclusions:
- DRP induce novel microfluidic phenomena in blood flow.
- These phenomena explain DRP's positive impact on tissue perfusion and hemodynamics.
- Findings support the potential clinical application of DRP for circulatory disorders.
