Blood Rheology and Biomedical Implications

Abstract

Blood rheology plays an essential role in the functioning of complex organisms, as blood flow facilitates the transport of oxygen and nutrients, the immune response, and the self-healing of the vessel network after injury. Furthermore, changes in blood rheology can often be used as a biomarker for blood-related diseases and disorders. One of the prominent questions is how macroscopic properties of blood emerge from the mechanical properties of suspended cells, their flow dynamics, and interactions between them. Blood rheology, which is mainly determined by the red blood cells, also strongly affects the behavior of other blood components, such as white blood cells, platelets, and von Willebrand factor. In this chapter, we review recent advances in blood rheology by covering the behavior of single cells and multicellular suspensions in shear and microvessel flows. In particular, we discuss physical mechanisms of blood shear thinning which arises from a rich behavior of red blood cells in shear flow. Furthermore, the distribution of various suspended components in blood flow is described. Finally, several biomedical implications of blood rheological properties are discussed in the context of malaria and sickle-cell disease.