A Mathematical Model for Blood Flow Accounting for the Hematological Disorders

Abstract

Abstract This paper considers a mathematical model that accounts for the hematological disorders of blood in its flow in human arteries. Blood is described as a Newtonian fluid but with its viscosity as a function of the hematocrit, plasma viscosity, and shape factor of the red blood cells. The artery is modeled as a flexible circular pipe with the blood flow as oscillatory. This model is solved using HAM (Homotopy Analysis Method), an approximate analytical method, and we computed expressions for wall shear stress (WSS) and volumetric flow rate. With the help of publicly available data, blood flow in the human femoral artery for male and female populations aged 19 to 60 and above years is simulated for healthy, anemia, and polycythemia cases. The model projected a significant difference in the mean volumetric flow rates in the conditions mentioned above. Results also indicated that the mean WSS of healthy and anemic populations are not significantly different. However, a significant difference in the mean has been observed in healthy and polycythemic conditions. Furthermore, a 33.3% decrease in hematocrit value from that in the normal range (taken as 0.45) of a healthy population has increased the flow rate by 33.5%. For a value 33.3% above 0.45, there is a decrease of 42.7% in the flow rate.