Blood flow and cell-free layer in microvessels.

ABSTRACT: Blood is modeled as a suspension of red blood cells using the dissipative particle dynamics method. The red blood cell membrane is coarse-grained for efficient simulations of multiple cells, yet accurately describes its viscoelastic properties. Blood flow in microtubes ranging from 10 to 40 μm in diameter is simulated in three dimensions for values of hematocrit in the range of 0.15-0.45 and carefully compared with available experimental data. Velocity profiles for different hematocrit values show an increase in bluntness with an increase in hematocrit. Red blood cell center-of-mass distributions demonstrate cell migration away from the wall to the tube center. This results in the formation of a cell-free layer next to the tube wall corresponding to the experimentally observed Fahraeus and

SUBMITTER: Fedosov DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3529161 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature