Aggregation of blood components on a surface in a microfluidic environment

Abstract

The aggregation of blood components on the blood-contacting surface of a medical device will reduce its reliability and lifetime. Such aggregations are known to be generated by sheared-flow activation of blood components which themselves are greatly influenced by flow patterns. This is especially important in the case of a microfluidic system. A numerical simulation was conducted to evaluate the flow parameters in a microminiature blood circulation loop to determine those flow factors that promote the aggregation of blood components and their potential deposition on the blood-contacting surface. The local geometry of the system was found to be the most important factor that affects the evolution of the flow field. Based on these results, the predicted locations of aggregation of blood components for the circulating blood-loop system were compared with experimental results.