Hemodynamic analysis for stenosis microfluidic model of thrombosis with refined computational fluid dynamics...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Fluid Dynamics
• Computational Science

Background:

• Disturbed blood flow is crucial in platelet aggregation and thrombosis.
• Microfluidic devices with contractions model microvascular stenosis and thrombosis.
• Physical factors influencing microfluidic hemodynamics require further definition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a high-accuracy computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach for mapping shear rate and stress in stenotic regions.
• To identify dominant physical determinants of hemodynamic distribution in microfluidic stenosis.
• To investigate the influence of non-Newtonian blood viscosity on flow dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Utilized refined CFD simulations with ultra-fine meshing and sensitivity verification.
• Modeled blood flow using a Generalized Power-Law model for non-Newtonian behavior.
• Compared Newtonian (water) and non-Newtonian (blood) fluid simulations.

Main Results:

• Stenosis level significantly dictates shear rate and wall shear stress distribution, more than bulk shear rate or contraction angle.
• Contraction angle influences shear rate gradient but has minor effects on peak shear rate.
• Simulating blood as a non-Newtonian fluid showed negligible differences in shear rate distribution compared to Newtonian simulations.

Conclusions:

• The refined CFD method provides a comprehensive 3D analysis of microfluidic hemodynamics, aiding microfabrication.
• Understanding these rheological effects is vital for advancing thrombosis research and platelet mechanobiology.
• Stenosis level is the primary factor controlling flow disturbance in these microfluidic models.