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Controlled Microfluidic Environment for Dynamic Investigation of Red Blood Cell Aggregation
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An Investigation on the Aggregation and Rheodynamics of Human Red Blood Cells Using High Performance Computations
Dong Xu1, Chunning Ji1, Eldad Avital2
1State Key Laboratory of Hydraulic Engineering Simulation and Safety, Tianjin University, Weijin Road, Tianjin 300072, China.
Scientifica
|May 6, 2017
Summary
This study developed a computational fluid dynamics model to simulate red blood cell (RBC) behavior in blood flow. The model accurately predicts RBC aggregation under varying shear rates, crucial for understanding human circulation.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Computational Fluid Dynamics
- Hematology
Background:
- Hemodynamics of human circulation are critical for clinical and scientific understanding.
- Red blood cell (RBC) deformation and aggregation significantly impact blood flow dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a computational technique for simulating the interaction between fluid flow and deformable RBCs.
- To investigate the effects of RBC deformation and aggregation on blood flow characteristics.
Main Methods:
- Coupled computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code simulating fluid-RBC interactions.
- Parallelization of the code using spatial decomposition for high-speed computation.
- Simulations of single and multiple RBCs in various flow conditions (microchannel, Poiseuille flow, confined tube) and large-scale simulations (49,512 RBCs at 45% hematocrit).
Main Results:
- The computational code successfully simulated RBC deformation and transport.
- Large-scale simulations validated macroscale RBC aggregation characteristics.
- Results showed uniform RBC distribution at high shear rates (60-100/s) and significant aggregation at low shear rates (10/s), consistent with experimental data.
Conclusions:
- The developed computational technique is a reliable tool for studying RBC behavior in blood flow.
- RBC aggregation is shear-dependent, with implications for understanding microcirculatory disorders.
- The findings provide insights into the complex interplay between RBC mechanics and blood flow hemodynamics.
