Hemolysis of red blood cells in blood vessels modeled via computational fluid dynamics

The research aims to verify the universal relationship between vessel shape and the risk of hemolysis using a rheological model of blood reflecting the physiological processes related to blood for any blood vessel. Blood is a multi-component fluid, the rheology of which depends on many factors, such as the concentration of red blood cells and local shear stress, which significantly affect the process of hemolysis. Blood rheology models used so far cannot be used for all flows and geometries. Therefore, a new rheology model has been introduced suitable for modeling hemolytic flows observed in arteries with atherosclerotic lesions in the in vivo environment. The previously presented model also has advantages in modeling local viscosity in stenosis. Geometries of the blood vessels from computed tomography scans and simplified models of the actual arteries observed during medical procedures were used in the calculations. Population Balance Based Rheology model predicts the concentration of single, deagglomerated red blood cells and the concentration and size of red blood cell agglomerates, which affect blood rheology and hemolysis. Based on the simulations carried out, a correlation was found between the shape of the vessel cavity and the risk of hemolysis. Presented results can be used in the future to create a correlation between the shape of the atherosclerotic lesions and the risk of hemolysis in the blood to make an initial risk assessment for a given patient.