Modeling of Mechanical Blood Damage: a Discussion of Current Approaches and Alternative Proposals

Abstract

In artificial organs such as vascular prostheses and detoxification devices, blood is exposed to mechanical stresses that can damage red blood cells, possibly leading to membrane lysis. In this work a theoretical analysis of mechanical hemolysis in artificial organs is presented, by firstly considering the main features of the current modeling approaches in literature. Two alternative modeling approaches, based on a physical description of the hemolysis process, are then presented, discussed and compared with experimental data.