Sequential quantification of blood and diluent using red cell sedimentation-based separation and pressure-induced work in a microfluidic channel

2023

As rheological properties are substantially influenced by red blood cells (RBCs) and plasma, the separation of their individual contributions in blood is essential. The estimation of multiple rheological factors is a critical issue for effective early detection of diseases. In this study, three rheological properties (i.e., viscoelasticity, RBC aggregation, and blood junction pressure) are measured by analyzing the blood velocity and image intensity in a microfluidic device. Using a single syringe pump, the blood flow rate sets to a pulsatile flow pattern (Qb[t] = 1 + 0.5 sin(2πt/240) mL/h). Based on the discrete fluidic circuit model, the analytical formula of the time constant (λb) as viscoelasticity is derived and obtained at specific time intervals by analyzing the pulsatile blood velocity. To obtain RBC aggregation by reducing blood velocity substantially, an air compliance unit (ACU) is used to connect polyethylene tubing (i.d. = 250 µm, length = 150 mm) to the blood channel in parallel. The RBC aggregation index (AI) is obtained by analyzing the microscopic image intensity. The blood junction pressure (β) is obtained by integrating the blood velocity within the ACU. As a demonstration, the present method is then applied to detect either RBC-aggregated blood with different concentrations of dextran solution or hardened blood with thermally shocked RBCs. Thus, it can be concluded that the present method has the ability to consistently detect differences in diluent or RBCs in terms of three rheological properties.

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomechanical Assessment of Red Blood Cells in Pulsatile Blood Flows

2023

“…In previous studies, a driving blood syringe was set in the vertical direction (i.e., upright or inverted). In addition, the hematocrit was set to relatively lower levels than the normal level of 45% (i.e., 0.1% [17], 20% [11], 25% [30], and 30% [21,31]). The hematocrit of the blood tended to increase over time when the blood was supplied from the bottom region of the syringe into the microfluidic device.…”

Section: Contributions Of Rbc Sedimentation For Control Bloodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contributions of Red Blood Cell Sedimentation in a Driving Syringe to Blood Flow in Capillary Channels

2022

Self Cite

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), which has been commonly used to detect physiological and pathological diseases in clinical settings, has been quantified using an interface in a vertical tube. However, previous methods do not provide biophysical information on blood during the ESR test. Therefore, it is necessary to quantify the individual contributions in terms of viscosity and pressure. In this study, to quantify RBC sedimentation, the image intensity (Ib) and interface (β) were obtained by analyzing the blood flow in the microfluidic channels. Based on threshold image intensity, the corresponding interfaces of RBCs (Ib > 0.15) and diluent (Ib < 0.15) were employed to obtain the viscosities (µb, µ0) and junction pressures (Pb, P0). Two coefficients (CH1, CH2) obtained from the empirical formulas (µb = µ0 [1 + CH1], Pb = P0 [1 + CH2]) were calculated to quantify RBC sedimentation. The present method was then adopted to detect differences in RBC sedimentation for various suspended blood samples (healthy RBCs suspended in dextran solutions or plasma). Based on the experimental results, four parameters (µ0, P0, CH1, and CH2) are considered to be effective for quantifying the contributions of the hematocrit and diluent. Two coefficients exhibited more consistent trends than the conventional ESR method. In conclusion, the proposed method can effectively detect RBC sedimentation.

“…When supplying blood to a microfluidic channel from the bottom region, variations in the RBCs in the tube can be monitored by analyzing the image intensity of the blood flow. Alterations in image intensity are interpreted as an increase in the hematocrit resulting from RBC sedimentation [ 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ]. However, image intensity does not provide mechanical information about the blood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomechanical Investigation of Red Cell Sedimentation Using Blood Shear Stress and Blood Flow Image in a Capillary Chip

2023

Self Cite

Blood image intensity has been used to detect erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). However, it does not give information on the biophysical properties of blood samples under continuous ESR. In this study, to quantify mechanical variations of blood under continuous ESR, blood shear stress and blood image intensity were obtained by analyzing blood flows in the capillary channel. A blood sample is loaded into a driving syringe to demonstrate the proposed method. The blood flow rate is set in a periodic on–off pattern. A blood sample is then supplied into a capillary chip, and microscopic blood images are captured at specific intervals. Blood shear stress is quantified from the interface of the bloodstream in the coflowing channel. τ0 is defined as the maximum shear stress obtained at the first period. Simultaneously, ESRτ is then obtained by analyzing temporal variations of blood shear stress for every on period. AII is evaluated by analyzing the temporal variation of blood image intensity for every off period. According to the experimental results, a shorter period of T = 4 min and no air cavity contributes to the high sensitivity of the two indices (ESRτ and AII). The τ0 exhibits substantial differences with respect to hematocrits (i.e., 30–50%) as well as diluents. The ESRτ and AII showed a reciprocal relationship with each other. Three suggested properties represented substantial differences for suspended blood samples (i.e., hardened red blood cells, different concentrations of dextran solution, and fibrinogen). In conclusion, the present method can detect variations in blood samples under continuous ESR effectively.