Numerical investigation of the hemostasis process in transient blood flow

Abstract

Thrombus formation is a thoroughly researched area, posing several unanswered questions. Quite many of the underlying processes are still not well understood. This uncertainty arises from the fact that the blood clotting mechanism in our bodies involves a rather complex reaction cascade with plenty of components. These underlying dynamic processes stretch over the domains of several disciplines (as there are biomechanical and biochemical reactions as well as fl uid dynamical components). In this study the factors thought to be the most infl uential were selected and coupled with the transient fl ow fi eld that reacts not only to the cardiac pressure waves but also to the changing geometry of the vessel due to the clot formation. Although the number of degrees of freedom is reduced heavily, this model is already capable of qualitatively reproducing the results of in-vivo measured hemostasis.