Analysis on Motion Characteristics of Red Blood Cells in Capillaries / 医用生物力学

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the motion and deformation of red blood cells ( RBCs) with different mechanical properties in capillaries,and make analysis on the associated hemorheological parameters. Methods The RBC was modeled as a hyper elastic membrane using Skalak model. The fluid was solved using a two-order difference scheme with the membrane mechanics treated by the immersed method. The pathological viscosity ratio λ= 5 was considered. Results The steady deformation of RBCs with different membrane stiffness in the capillary was obtained. With membrane stiffness increasing, the cell transformed from axisymmetric shapes to non-axisymmetric shapes. With capillary number increasing, the deformability of RBCs weakened and the flow resistance increased. Conclusions With stiffening of cell membrane, the non-axisymmetric cell shape appears and the flow resistance increases. Therefore, in diseases involved stiffening RBCs, the stiffened RBCs can cause the blockage of capillaries and hypoxia in surrounding tissues.