Department of Biomedical Engineering Posters and Presentations

Characterization of Blood-Analog Fluids in a 180-degree Curved Artery Model

Poster Number

107

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

3-2016

Abstract

Background: Spiral blood flow (or vortical) patterns occur in arteries with bends, curvatures and branches due to imbalances between pressure and centrifugal forces. The absence of these vortical patterns has been associated with various diseases like atherosclerosis, a leading cause of death in the U.S. [1]. Experimental investigation of such blood flow patterns requires blood-analog fluids that offer realistic response to physiological flow stimuli. Motivation and Objective: Spiral blood flow patterns have a role in the onset and detection of cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis, associated with plaque build-up in the near wall regions of curved arteries. The central objective of this study was to characterize blood-analog fluids matched for viscosity and refractive indices required for the experiments in a 180-degree curved artery model. Methods: The following 3-step method was used to characterize the two blood-analog fluids presented in Table 1: 1. Kinematic viscosity measurements were performed using an Ubbelohde viscometer and a rheometer (DHR-series). 2. Hydrodynamics data were acquired using two clinical pressure catheters (for pressure gradient) and one ultrasonic flow rate sensor. 3. Refractive indices were measured using a refractometer (Atago-PALRI) [2-3]. Results: The rheological data exhibited Newtonian-fluid-like behavior and were in agreement with the Quemada (blood) model-based parameters of hematocrit and shear rate [4]. The hydrodynamic data exhibited phase-lags between the pressure gradient and the flow rate (Fig. 1) as analytically predicted by Womersley [5]. The refractive indices of the fluids are similar to acrylic test section, facilitating non-invasive laser based flow visualization. Conclusion: The hydrodynamic data generated in these experiments has the potential to impact hemodynamics of cardiovascular diseases under patient-specific conditions.

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Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Open Access

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Presented at: GW Research Days 2016

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Characterization of Blood-Analog Fluids in a 180-degree Curved Artery Model

Background: Spiral blood flow (or vortical) patterns occur in arteries with bends, curvatures and branches due to imbalances between pressure and centrifugal forces. The absence of these vortical patterns has been associated with various diseases like atherosclerosis, a leading cause of death in the U.S. [1]. Experimental investigation of such blood flow patterns requires blood-analog fluids that offer realistic response to physiological flow stimuli. Motivation and Objective: Spiral blood flow patterns have a role in the onset and detection of cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis, associated with plaque build-up in the near wall regions of curved arteries. The central objective of this study was to characterize blood-analog fluids matched for viscosity and refractive indices required for the experiments in a 180-degree curved artery model. Methods: The following 3-step method was used to characterize the two blood-analog fluids presented in Table 1: 1. Kinematic viscosity measurements were performed using an Ubbelohde viscometer and a rheometer (DHR-series). 2. Hydrodynamics data were acquired using two clinical pressure catheters (for pressure gradient) and one ultrasonic flow rate sensor. 3. Refractive indices were measured using a refractometer (Atago-PALRI) [2-3]. Results: The rheological data exhibited Newtonian-fluid-like behavior and were in agreement with the Quemada (blood) model-based parameters of hematocrit and shear rate [4]. The hydrodynamic data exhibited phase-lags between the pressure gradient and the flow rate (Fig. 1) as analytically predicted by Womersley [5]. The refractive indices of the fluids are similar to acrylic test section, facilitating non-invasive laser based flow visualization. Conclusion: The hydrodynamic data generated in these experiments has the potential to impact hemodynamics of cardiovascular diseases under patient-specific conditions.