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Christina Kolyva
Blood Composition
Whole blood consists of formed elements and plasma Formed elements: Red blood cells (RBCs) or erhythrocytes (99.9%) White blood cells (WBCs) or leukocytes 0.1% Platelets
Plasma consists of: Water (92%) Plasma proteins (7%) Other solutes (1%)
Hematocrit (H) is the percentage of whole blood occupied by cellular elements
Production: No nuclei or ribosomes, so they cannot divide or produce their own proteins. Life span ~120 days RBC formation (erythropoiesis) occurs in red bone marrow
Platelets
In adults 1 l of whole blood contains 150-500 thousand platelets Shape: Flattened disks, round when viewed from above Composition: They do not have a nucleus They carry enzymes and other substances important for the process of blood clotting Function: Transport chemicals for initiation and control of clotting Form temporary platelet plug in the walls of injured blood vessels Actively contract when the clot has been formed Production: They live for 9-12 days Produced in the bone marrow by magakaryocytes
Plasma
Composition: Contains significant quantities of dissolved proteins Albumins (60%): Important for the transport of fatty acids, thyroid hormones and steroid hormones. Also major contributors to the osmotic pressure of plasma Globulins (35%): Antibodies and transport proteins Fibrinogen: Important for blood clotting.Fit forms fibrin, which is the network for a blood clot Also contains regulatory proteins, electrolytes, organic nutrients and organic waste
Viscosity
Apparent viscosity
For non-newtonian fluids apparent viscosity is defined as the slope of the rheological curve at a specific shear rate Relative apparent viscosity is the ratio of the apparent viscosity of a solution divided by the apparent viscosity of the solvent
Viscometers
Blood viscosity
Blood is a non-Newtonian fluid Apparent blood viscosity depends on shear rate Low shear rate=> Rouleaux formations and sedimentation=>high apparent viscosity High shear rate=> the stacks break down=> newtonian behaviour
Blood viscosity
The blood has yield stress
Yield stress depends on H and also on the fibrinogen concentration in plasma Empirical relation:
Blood viscosity
Relative viscosity depends also on H and on the flexibility of the RBCs
Blood viscosity
The dependence on H is non-linear for tube sizes down to 9 m. For smaller tubes the relation is linear
Blood viscosity
Blood viscosity depends on plasma viscosity . The latter depends on the protein concentration of plasma
Protein concentration of plasma also affects the flexibility of the RBCs and the interactions between them (adhesiveness, aggregation)
Blood viscosity
Blood viscosity also depends on temperature, on the presence of platelets (thrombi formation) and on the presence of WBCs (but only at pathological conditions) Conclusion? The parameters that determine plasma viscosity affect also each other. It is difficult to study each one separately
Model
Blood is modeled as a Casson fluid:
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Fahraeus-Lindqvist effect
The apparent viscosity of blood depends on the geometry of the instrument in which it is measured
Fahraeus effect
Reduction in tube hematocrit in microvessels relative to the supply hematocrit