A Continuum Approach With Adaptive Mesh Refinement for Platelet Plug Formation

Platelet plug formation is a critical physiological response to vascular injury, serving as a cornerstone of primary hemostasis. Understanding and simulating this process are essential for advancing patient-specific treatments and interventions. However, achieving a balance between model accuracy and computational efficiency, in particular, for patient-specific scenarios, remains a challenge. In this work, we present a continuum-based approach for simulating platelet plug formation using adaptive mesh refinement, providing a novel solution in this field that enables both accuracy and computational feasibility. Indeed, it integrates a stabilized finite element method within the Variational Multiscale framework to model blood flow dynamics, treated as a non-Newtonian fluid, along with the transport of biochemical species such as platelets and agonists. The platelet plug is represented by an extra stress term in the Navier-Stokes equation, capturing its influence on local blood flow dynamics as a rigid body. A key feature is related to anisotropic mesh adaptation, enabling high-resolution representation of the evolving platelet plug boundary while drastically reducing computational cost. We validate the model against two-dimensional benchmarks under varying shear rates and apply it to a 3D scenario, demonstrating its scalability and precision in simulating thrombosis under complex hemodynamic conditions. The results highlight the model's unique capability to facilitate accurate and efficient patient-specific simulations, offering a transformative tool for advancing personalized medicine.